Preventing Sleep Problems

In infants as young as two months, a definate sleep wake cycle has been demonstrated. Traditionally it is expected that from about three months of life, infants have a recognisable sleep wake pattern. How can parents help infants to develop an understanding of a good sleep pattern?

Babies learn to tell night from day when they are offered naps in normal ambient daylight with normal household noise. Your infant has listened to your breathing, heartbeat and digestion during their time in the womb. To suddenly have a silent world is strange and worrying. Background noise helps make sudden loud noise less upsetting. Don't close the curtains and darken the room at nap times.

Decide when you want your child to go to bed and when is a good time to wake up. Most families work on a 7am-7pm sleep wake cycle but there is nothing wrong with an 8am to 8pm pattern. Your child will live in your home in your lifestyle. Choose the times that best suit that lifestyle and develop recognisable routines so that your child can learn to anticipate what happens next. This makes the child secure and confident.

Young children have a very small window when they will settle to sleep quickly. Miss this opportunity and settling is a prolonged and difficult process. Learn to recognise your child's sleepy signals and to settle your child quickly.

Your routine before bed should consist of three things which you could do anywhere on the planet. These should be completed in the same order at the same time every night. Children learn by demonstration and repetition. This routine should not be longer than 30 minutes. Your child will quickly learn the order of this routine and know what is expected of them once it is completed.

Put your child down to sleep when they are calm and drowsy. If your child learns to settle by themselves you won't need to spend a lot of time with them to get them to go to sleep.

If you need help and support to teach your child to settle or stay asleep,
Contact Dream-Angus.com