Bedtime schedules and habit are very important for most
children in establishing positive sleep patterns and in developing a sense of
security and stability. Not only will your child will benefit from a set bedtime,
it affords you time to settle with your spouse or to attend to other chores.
The best way to begin is to pick a time for bed that is
reasonable for your child and which you can consistently provide.
Establish a bedtime routine that can provide predictability
and a comforting, familiar pattern. Even
an understandable and structured visual pattern can assist this process and can
provide reminders and consistency for the whole family.
A good bedtime routine will help teach a child to calm
down, relax and get ready to sleep. However, not every technique works for
every child. For example, if bathing is stimulating or frightening for your
child, it’s probably a better idea to do it at another time of day rather than
right before you want your child to calm down and go to sleep.
Incorporate
activities that you know have a calming effect on your child into their bedtime
preparatory routine. Keep the routine short and sweet. It should realistically only consist of four
to six steps that can be completed in a reasonable time frame, not drawn out
into hours on end each night.
Reading a favorite book each night, brushing teeth, having
a glass of water, and saying a goodnight prayer can all be calming, soothing
activities for a young child to perform each night routinely. Hugging and
kissing family members is usually also an integral part of the process, of
course!
There are those nights or times when circumstances prevent
your child from getting to bed at their usual time. Be sure not to shortchange the process when
this happens, but keep in mind that each step can be shortened significantly in
order to prevent long frustrations at a time when everyone is tired.
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