Children and babies all have differing sleep needs. However, helping your child to learn to fall asleep on his own will help, both you and your child, sleep better through the night. Most school-age children need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep each night. Not getting enough sleep at night can cause a variety of issues during the day, such as learning problems and behavioral issues. Helping your child get enough sleep starts with making sure they have an appropriate bedtime and continues with consistently making the bedtime routine an important part of your child's day.
Step 1
Pick a consistent bedtime. Observe your child in the evening and watch for a time when they start to slow down and look tired. It is easier to get children to fall asleep when they are not overly tired. Overly tired children tend to get wound up again, become cranky and have a difficult time falling asleep.
Step 2
Create a soothing bedtime routine that makes bedtime special. The routine should work for you and your schedule, but it should also be consistent, so your child knows what to expect. A routine could consist of a warm bath, brushing teeth and one story. Done consistently, the bedtime routine becomes a bonding time between you and your child and helps your child settle down for the night.
Step 3
Use light to cue your child's sleep-wake cycle. Dim the lights at night or use a small night-light. In the morning, expose your child to natural light, if possible, by going outside. According to Kyla Boyse, R.N., at the University of Michigan Health System, "light helps signal the brain into the right sleep-wake cycle."
Step 4
Avoid big meals too close to bedtime. Also don't allow any food or drink with caffeine within six hours of bed.
Step 5
Don't allow your child to watch television at bedtime or to fall asleep watching TV. Kyla Boyse at UMHS, citing a 1999 study published in the journal "Pediatrics," states that "watching TV is linked to sleep problems, especially if the TV set is in the child's bedroom." A computer and video games in the child's bedroom also contribute to poor sleep.
Step 6
Do not put your child to sleep with a bottle of juice, milk or formula. Milk or juice left in a child's mouth at night can cause early tooth decay. Relying on a drink to go to sleep does not teach the child to fall asleep on their own. If your child is still nursing or taking a bottle, feed them and then put them to bed when they are done.
