Your Best New Years Resolution Better Sleep for the Whole Family [sleeplady.co…

Your Best New Years Resolution Better Sleep for the Whole Family [sleeplady.com] Your Best New Years Resolution Better Sleep for the Whole Family Its time to turn the page on 2017 and commit to a new year. Maybe its the perennial favorite of a better diet or a new exercise program or maybe its a commitment to spending more quality time with your family. Better sleep is one New Years resolution that will help you keep up with every other resolution you make this year. Proper sleep supports greater neurological functioning better appetite stabilization and a more positive outlook on life. This is true for you as a parent and for your children. Here are 6 practical steps to improve your entire familys sleep in 2018! Make Naps a Priority For babies and children three years and younger making your childs naps a priority each day will go a long way to improving his overall sleep health. You know from experience that when your child misses his nap he may become overtired. But this doesnt mean he will sleep more soundly at night. His body in an effort to stay awake after a missed nap secretes an alerting hormone which excites and disrupts normal sleep patterns for a few hours. It may lead to him waking more during the night and being more likely to rise early in the morning. Its ok to have some naps on the go we always need to remain flexible but the norm should be a consistent nap schedule with a soothing pre-nap routine. If you recently started sleep coaching your child its particularly important to be home for naps and give it your full attention for 2-3 weeks. Keep an Early Bedtime Establishing and maintaining an early bedtime is one of the most practical ways to help your child get enough sleep in 2018. And a bedtime is a perfect New Years resolution. Children typically need a bedtime between 7 and 8 p.m. A later bedtime often leads to difficulty falling asleep early rising night-wakings and not enough sleep overall. In order to keep an early bedtime establish a consistent dinnertime and a soothing bedtime routine. Include things like putting on pjs teeth brushing potty time reading a book snuggling saying a prayer or singing a song and into bed. Do these in the same order each night. Children thrive on routine even when they seem to resist it and will benefit immensely from your consistency with them each night. You can even try a Sleep Manners Chart with stickers as an incentive. Download and customize here. A later bedtime often leads to difficulty falling asleep early rising night-wakings and not enough sleep overall End Early Rising Ideally your childs day begins between 6 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Earlier than 6 a.m. is considered early rising and these few tips may help your child adjust: Add room darkening shades to keep out the light in the early morning. Use a sound machine to drown out noises from outside or the rest of the house. If your child is under 8 months old he may be waking while hungry. In this case you can incorporate a dream feed into his nighttime sleep. Keeping an early bedtime will help your child sleep more restfully and not wake too early. Make sure you are putting your child to bed drowsy but awake. Try a toddler clock for your child over 2.5 years old. Teach him that he must stay in his bed quietly until his wake-up light comes on. Read more about early rising and toddler clocks here. Pick a Date to Begin Gentle Sleep Coaching Sleep coaching is another great New Years resolution. If your baby is 6 months or older and does not know how to go to sleep and put themself to back to sleep independently then its time for some gentle sleep coaching. My method is not a one-size-fits-all cookie cutter approach but an individual tailored approach for your family. In gentle sleep coaching your child learns sleep skills while you stay with them offering physical and verbal reassurance implementing a strategy that is called fading in behavioral science and which I call the Sleep Lady Shuffle. Think youre ready for sleep coaching your child? Check in with your doctor first and get the green light before you begin and check out this list of 10 things to do before you begin sleep coaching. Next check out my blog for tips on creating a sleep plan tailored to your childs age and particular needs. Once you create a sleep plan pick a start date and commit to making this your priority for 2-3 weeks. Say no to activities that keep you away from home during naps and bedtime routines during this time. Your commitment to consistency will go a long way to making this coaching process a success for your child. If you find yourself in need of some individualized help my certified sleep coaches are available to partner with you in creating a sleep plan and providing strategies to solve your childs sleep problems. Reduce Screen Time Before Bed Avoiding screen time an hour before bed will help your childs body change gears and slow down for sleep. Computers tablets and smartphones all emit short-wavelength blue light that suppresses the bodys natural sleep hormone melatonin. Read more about how to protect your childs sleep amongst the many screens here. Make a New Years Resolution for Your Own Sleep Last but certainly not least make a commitment to your own sleep. This may draw a laugh or two since we all know that your sleep often depends on your childrens sleep! That may mean that you must begin some gentle sleep coaching to help your child sleep through the night so that you can. A new year is a great time to get out the calendar and pick a date! A rested parent is a happier and often better more patient parent. Once theyre sleeping make your own sleep a priority. Many of the same rules apply to adults as children. Reducing before-bed screens getting a healthy amount of sleep 7-8 hours for most adults and keeping a regular schedule can help parents and adults be at their best. Read some more tips on sleep for moms (and dads) here. May you have a Happy New Year and improved sleep for the entire family in 2018! Kim West Kim is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been a practicing child and family therapist for more than 24 years and the creator of the original gentle proven method to get a good nights sleep for you and your child. She is the author of The Sleep Ladys Good Night Sleep Tight its companion Workbook and 52 Sleep Secrets for Babies. Click here to read more about her. Did you find this article helpful? Please share it with your friends by clicking below or ask a question on The Sleep Lady Facebook page. 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