Let us start at the very beginning, which of course is birth, and we all spent our time feeding, and comforting the new baby in the strange world they are born into with light and loud noises so they would settle to sleep. New-born babies all have different personalities, and each one reacts slightly differently to enable them to sleep.
Some scream in the bath with their clothes off, others don’t. Perhaps like me your first baby was easy and comforted in your arms, whereas my second babe carried on screaming if upset. Then, it is so easy to begin to get into bad habits to settle the little one (LO), which ultimately makes it difficult for the baby to learn to self-settle when they are older.
Every family has a combination of these different human personalities, daily activities, and routines, which is why
Families need unique individual sleep plans because no one sleep plan fits another family. Research recommends that a combination of different behavioural management techniques can best help individual children, which is why parents struggling to change the night-time behaviour of their children may miss the fact that a crucial issue in the daytime can reinforce unwanted nighttime habits.
Busy, and well-meaning parents can inadvertently miss altering a crucial issue in their daytime routine that can make an enormous difference to a restless toddler at night. What time individuals get up, what they eat, and drink, and how they spend their time.
Sleep breeds sleep, sleep shaping helps babies learn the basics of napping and a good night’s sleep.
We all know that Bedtime problems and frequent night wakings are highly common in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Strong evidence suggests that sleep disruption and/or insufficient sleep has harmful effects on children’s intellectual development, and on the regulation of children’s moods, also on the children’s ability to be attentive, and of course, their health outcomes, and overall quality of life.
Many research studies that have followed children from early childhood to beyond age six years have shown that little ones who have only an hour less sleep per night than their peers in their Nursery class or school are several times more likely to struggle with high scores in Hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI), inattention, and daytime sleepiness, which leads to lower intellectual or cognitive performance on neurodevelopmental tests.
Children with only 5 hours less sleep in the week when tested were less able to express themselves verbally as well as their peers and the effects lasted well into later childhood.
And we have not even discussed the effect on parental relationships as quality sleep has secondary effects on parental and whole family functioning.
Furthermore, research studies that have followed up children over time demonstrated that sleep problems first presenting in infancy may become chronic, so lasting well into the preschool and school-aged years.
A solid body of literature now exists supporting the use of evidence-based behavioural management strategies to treat bedtime problems and night wakings in infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers.
What’s happening with your family?
Have you tried to overcome your child’s sleep issues? Have you looked online or asked your friends and one article says one thing and the next person says another way to solve the problem?
Are they fighting sleep and crying and crying when they go into their cot or bed?
Are you rocking, cuddling and nursing the little one to sleep?
Are they waking frequently at night either to feed or come into your bed when they have reached the age when they can sleep through?
Are they waking early morning?
Are you struggling with bedtime fears of being left alone or little ones waking in the night with night terrors?
Is your little one going to sleep late at night with perhaps a delayed sleep onset disorder?
Are you struggling with the sleep needs of several children or twins with the difficulty in scheduling a routine that meets the needs of everyone?
Has your little one had a medical diagnosis and you are struggling with knowing how to manage their medical condition and their sleep needs?
So let us start at the very beginning, which is a very good place to start, when you read, we begin with A-B-C
When we sleep lets us start with DO-RE-MEÂ Â Â
DO try to make a bedtime routine beginning from 5 pm teatime. Why teatime well, that is when the little one needs to focus on eating and practising all the skills of fine motor coordination and making a mess! Then, after teatime focus on quiet interactive play with your LO, I know Dad comes in from work and the party begins, um, no, Dad can have fun with the LO in the bath, but it is important to keep the fun and excitement down from now on. Once upstairs children need to stay upstairs for Storytime, and no more going downstairs.
RE sults highlight the importance of giving a child the opportunity to sleep at least 10 to 11 hours per night throughout early childhood.
ME that is you-time, to be enjoyed when the little ones are in bed. You can look forward to the peace.
FA milies benefit from good sleep as everyone including children can manage their emotions better and are better able to learn
SO one to two weeks of gentle behavioural training for a little one helps their long term intellectual development, and helps prevent obesity.
LA sting effects also include growth hormones secreted in young children during certain sleep stages which is why we need them to sleep soundly and transition through these stages
TE ething, illness, and holidays can disrupt sleep patterns, but when the sleep shaping principles are put back in place again everyone can sleep well again.
DO contact me for more help and advice for your family’s unique, individual sleep plan
Once you have the notes in your head, everyone will sleep well in their bed!
Vicky Scott
Children’s nurse, family visitor and a certified sleep consultant
How can I help you?
After helping 100s if not 1000s of babies, children, and parents with a myriad of different issues over the years, I am sure that I can help you. Also, I know what you are going through, because believe me, I suffered sleep deprivation with our 3 boys. I have always used kind and gentle sleep behaviour management methods.
The number one target is to find a solution to your nightly torture of broken sleep.
When I work with you, every single baby or child has a custom-made solution, because each child is an individual, and must be the right approach for your child. That is why I offer a free 20-minute consultation to talk to you and help you to enable your child to sleep through the night routinely.
Please book a call with me and I will talk with you soon.
Vicky x
