Sleep is an important part of children’s health and wellness. Getting adequate sleep helps to support growth and development, such as brain development, immune functions, emotional wellness, and more. However, sleep usually presents a big challenge for parents and their children. Parents often struggle with sleep routines, usually starting when their child is a newborn.
It is important to understand children’s sleep, and how you can strategize to make sure they have a healthy routine.
The Importance of Sleep
Sleep is an important factor in a child’s life. Some of the benefits include things like emotional regulation and a better attention span. Getting more rest will result in better performance in school, fewer meltdowns during the day, and so on.
Children who are sleep deprived deal with issues such as behavioral difficulties, increased irritability, and challenges with focus and development.
Because sleep is so important starting from birth, it is good to develop good sleep habits and routines that stick with kids as they grow.
Common Sleep Challenges
Most sleep issues are normal, but can be a challenge for parents. It is also important to realize that all children are different, so you should not necessarily compare one baby to another. Getting your baby to sleep and to stay asleep is frustrating,
Common sleep issues include:
- Waking up throughout the night.
- Short or inconsistent naps, especially while transitioning from two naps to one nap.
- Trouble falling asleep
- Waking up early
Have a Routine Sleep Schedule
An important part of healthy sleep is making sure you implement a routine and a sleep schedule.
A sleep routine should be a way for your child to wind down, such as taking a bath, reading books, quiet time, relaxing music, and so on. You should make sure the nursery or bedroom is a relaxing place, with room darkening blinds to help with circadian rhythms.
Try to keep on schedule as much as possible when it comes to going to bed and waking up, as well as nap times. Going past nap time or bedtime can cause overstimulation and it may throw off the schedule.
When your child wakes during the night, do not respond immediately. This helps to encourage self-soothing skills.
How Tools Can Support Better Sleep
Modern parenting increasingly benefits from digital solutions that have a variety of tools. For example, the Baby Soma app is designed to help parents better understand their child’s sleep rhythms by organizing sleep data in one place and highlighting trends over time. Used thoughtfully, such tools can support more informed decisions about schedules and routines without replacing parental intuition or professional guidance.
Other tools include things like blackout curtains, white noise machines, comfortable and breathable bedding, swaddling blankets, and more. Always take advantage of anything that can help your child sleep better. When they sleep better, you will have better piece of mind.
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