Stand firm with your child, stick to a time
you have set for your child to rest, you may need to help your child wind
down before naptime or bedtime and perhaps a short story or may be a gentle
massage to help relax the unwilling at sleep time.
As your child gets older his sleep pattern is likely to change, and you may
find you will need to start again, it may require letting him stay up later
or shorten his daytime naps as he grows.
Preventing The Problem:
Firstly, establish a bedtime routine. Before bedtime or naptime ensure a
calm approach with a special feeling, only you and your child enjoys at
these times of the day or night maybe a short story, a gentle back rub or
very softly stroking his hair as part of going-to-bed routine.
Putting in the effort to make bedtime and naptimes a special event gives
your child more than just going to bed to look forward to.
It may even involve a story you both tell by making it up as you go along,
or maybe a talk on a subject your child is interested in.
Include exercise a daily habit
Plain for your child to get plenty of exercise during his day, as this helps
his body letting his mind know going to bed has a good feeling.
Setting A Regular Rest Time:
Do not let your child control his rest time with late afternoon or evening
rests, it becomes a problem at bedtime to expect him to wind down for the
night.
Putting your child down early in the day for his rest period will ensure
less drama for bedtime.
Quality Time Before Bed:
Spending time with your child before bed will help prevent him from putting
on a performance just to get more of your attention.
Keep Bedtime Consistent.
To find out how much sleep your child may need by taking note of how he acts
when he has had his daytime nap and when he hasn't, and when he has gone to
bed at nine o'clock compared to seven o’clock.
Establish a regular sleep timetable that suits your child's needs, this
pattern is likely to change, as he gets older.
A Solution:
An hour before bedtime or even at naptime this idea can be used, set an
alarm clock for five minutes and let your child know when the alarm goes off
its telling him its time to start getting ready for bed.
This avoids unexpected surprises and helps your child except what is
required in the next stage, when the alarm sounds, simply say, "The alarm is
telling us its time to start getting ready for bed. Let’s have a bath, or
wash up and put our pajamas on."
Reset the alarm for fifteen minutes and say to your child, "lets see how we
go with beating the alarm at getting ready." This gives you the opening to
positively reward your child for his efforts at getting himself all the way
through the basic bedtime routine.
Make sure you allow a fair amount of time for your child to get the job
done.
When the routine is completed, reset the alarm for what is left of the hour
you set aside for bedtime and then say, "Because you were very good and beat
the alarm, you now get to stay up and play until the alarm goes off again
telling us it's time to hop into bed".
Now it is time to set the alarm for brushing our teeth, having a little
drink, and using the potty (if old enough) or going to the toilet before
getting into bed.
Using the alarm bedtime routine will help you and your child have fun
preparing for bedtime, your child will enjoy the game involved in the
bedtime routine.
Follow The Same Custom Regardless Of Time:
Even if it is past his normal bedtime, it is important to go through the
same pattern as the usual bedtime to help your child learn what is expected
of him when its time for going to bed.
Don't mention how late he has been up, speed up the pace give your child a
hand getting ready, using the alarm set it for shorter times. Although the
pressure is on its important you don’t leave out any of the regular steps.
Keep The Same organized Routine:
Because young children find comfort in regularity, have your child take his
bath, brush his teeth, and put his pajamas on, in the same order each night.
Ask your child to tell you what he thinks the next step is in the routine;
this helps him feel he has some say and being more involved.
Offer Rewards For Good Bedtime Behavior:
Speak to your child upon waking making a comment about him going to so bed
nicely is worthwhile. Say to him, "Seems you were so good going off to bed,
I would like to read you an extra story." Or another idea is, have a special
calendar for your child and get him to place stickers on his good bedtime
days, your child will find this very rewarding.
What Not To Do:
Don't Let Your Child Be In Charge Of Bed time:
Stand firm with your selected bedtime regardless of your Child's
performance.
Keeping in mind you know why he does not want to go to bed — and why he
should. Tell yourself, “He is crying because he doesn’t want to go to bed
and take a nap as he is happy to play, but you know with him having his nap
now he will be happier later.
Don't Intimidate Or Smack Your Child:
Threatening your child to make him go to bed may cause bad dreams; fears and
leaves your child unsettled, not to mention how you are going to feel when
his performance continues.
Punishing your child won't teach him suitable behavior.
As an alternative, use an alarm as an impartial influence to control when
nap time or bedtime arrives.
Article contributed by Theresea Hughes, creator of
http://free-toddlers-activity-and-discipline-guide.com
a site dedicated to providing parenting resource articles for toddlers
activity & child discipline with positive parenting tips, free kids games,
recipes, arts & crafts, including articles about potty training, temper
tantrums, kids sleep problems, parent tips for fussy eaters & much more.
