Legend has it that there are kids falling asleep for the entire night and waking up only with the first rays of sunlight. Unfortunately, it is not how most children actually operate. While adults get more and more tired closer in the evening, children get a boost of energy before going to bed.
They start running around the house as if they have just woken up from a weeklong dream. Parents keep asking themselves how to make kids fall asleep.
Push your despair aside, for there is good news! There is always a way to put a child to sleep fast. This is a matter of time and habit, and obviously of parents’ experience and patience.
There is no magic in it! A matter of a good night’s sleepis a habit you need to work on.
Here are a couple of ways for kids to fall asleep:
1) Airing the room before going to bed and thick curtains
A comfortable microclimate is a key to a night of good sleep: the room must not be hot, and the air must not be dry. Very often, parents wrap children in blankets afraid that a little one can catch a cold. Because of this, kids toss and turn feeling a lot of discomforts.
A child must sleep in a dark room. Try reducing the usage of a nightlight to the point where you stop using it at all. It is best if you put thick curtains into a child’s room so that the light cannot fill the space, while a little one is asleep. This is one of the best things to help kids sleep.
2) Timetable
A timetable is your savior. Dinner, calm games, toilet, bathing, reading fairytales, kisses, and hugs, putting favorite toys to bed, then you turn off the lights and sing a lullaby to a child. This is the best pattern to put a little one to sleep that you need to follow every evening around the same time. Even if you are having a whale of a time with a child, make sure to stick to a routine.
Children older than 3 very often rebel against timetables. Therefore, you need to be smart and find a way to be “on their side” while still following the regime. Give a kid a choice “Look; it is 9:10. If you go to the bathroom now and brush your teeth after, we might have time for one more tale, before switching off the light at 9:30!” In this case, you will be on the child’s side.
3) Grab a bite before going to bed
It seems like it is not the best idea to eat before going to bed. Organs, the stomach, in particular, needs to have some rest. In periods when a child starts growing rapidly, a little one will be hungry before going to bed. If a child falls asleep hungry, it might wake up in the middle of the night.
In this case, you can give a child something warm, light, and sugar-free. This can be cereal, yogurt, an apple, etc. Also, it is best if this night snack took place in the child’s room, at the table, before brushing teeth.
4) Don’t give a daytime sleep up to fast
For most children up to the age of 3, daytime sleep is a very important part of the routine. If a child does not nap during the day, it can become irritated and overexcited. It makes it difficult to calm a little one down and put it to bed in the evening. Also, make sure that the time that the child naps and its duration are followed every day. So the next time you wonder how to make kids fall asleep, stop their daytime naps.
Get a child accustom to going to bed by itself as early as you can, but do it step by step. It is okay to lie next to a child while it is falling asleep, but parents lose time that they could have spent on doing some chores.
In any case, the need for this method gradually fades as the child grows older. You can fast-forward this moment if you start teaching and adapting a child to falling asleep on its own. It works individually with each child, but you can start teaching a kid to fall asleep on its own at the age of 7-9 months as it is easier for a child to become accustomed at a young age.
- Put a child to bed before it has fallen asleep. This is done to help a kid remember where and how it has fallen asleep. If the child wakes up in the middle of the night, it will not get scared that you are not there.
- The next step would be to reduce close physical contact when putting a child to bed. At first, you can caress or lightly touch your baby instead of hugging it. Then sit near a child without touching a little one at all and wait until it is asleep.
- Finally, sit further and further away each time, until you can wish a kid “good night” and leave the room.
A child must see that you are always there for them! Even if you are not in the room, you will always come whenever a kid needs you. In case a child is waking up, you can soothe it using only your voice. Also, it is easier for a kid if it hears you talking and doing your things as a background sound.
When a door to the kid’s room is slightly open, a little one feels calmer and falls asleep. Whichever, it works with children at the age of 1.5 -2 years old. After a kid is asleep, close the door so that nothing can disturb it.
Some people need a week to accustom, some 2-3 months. BUT it works almost with all children. Frequently, parents give up too easily, trying to stick to a timetable. Occasionally, conditions are not favorable to sticking with the timetable. If a child becomes ill and needs special attention, this could disrupt the timetable. Once the child is healthy, the routine could resume.
Remember: all people wake up a few times during the night because it is a part of a healthy sleeping pattern. For this reason, a child can wake up but falls back asleep right away.
Try waiting for a few minutes before running to a kid. Kids can also start crying if they have a nightmare. Parents should be calm and confident at this moment. A child will feel this and calm down quicker.
Do you like our tips to make kids fall asleep faster? Check out our other parenting hacks.
- Awesome Ideas to Teach a Baby to Fall Asleep on His Own
- Guide to setup an Effective Time Table for Kids for Their Overall Development
- Table Manners for Kids – How to Teach Your Child Eating Etiquetes?
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