How do I get my child to sleep through the night?

I am asked that question a lot (as I'm sure you can imagine). I tell you a secret, it's down to two matters, that's right just two.I'm going to tell you what they are and how best to deal with them.

Let's Get Started!

1.)Routine

Now routine covers a few things. Think of your child on a 24 hr schedule. They require a certain amount of milk/food every 24 hrs and they require a certain amount of sleep every 24 hour. You want them to be getting the majority, if not all (obviously this is age dependent) of their milk/food during the day. Some children get enough calories from just milk to keep them going through the night. Other need to be on 3 full solid meals a day before they are getting enough calories. Some children will sleep through at 3 months, for others who need the solids it could be around 9 months

You also want your child to be getting the majority of their sleep during the night.

Here are some examples; If your 6 month isn't having much milk during the day, they are more than likely to want to be fed a lot during the night. If your 12 month old is napping for 4 hours during the day, they're not going to need as much sleep during the night. On the flip side, you'll want to make sure your child napping enough, an overtired child can really struggle to sleep at night. Have a good nighttime and nap time routine.

If you do the same thing for your routines before sleep, your child will anticipate that sleep time is coming and fall asleep easier and quicker.Have a nice wind down period before sleep, again this makes for an easier transition to sleep. Have predictable nap and nighttime.

You want your child to have a good sleep rhythm. Wake the same time each morning, go for naps at the same time each day (for the same amount of time) and go to bed at the same time each night. Once you get your child into rhythm it's easier for them to sleep.

2.)Skills

Your child needs to be taught the skills to fall asleep independently. Children are not born with the skills it is something they learn. If you teach them that they fall asleep being rocked, nursed, bounced, etc. They will expect the same to get to sleep all the time. We go in and out of deep sleep many, many times during the night, if your child relies on you to get them back into a deep sleep, they are going to wake you to help them.

You can start teaching your child the skills from around 3 months old.

The younger your child is when you try to teach them the easier it is. A real ingrained habit (I'm talking 2/3 year) can take quite a long time to remedy (though certainly not impossible). Try not to let it get to 2/3 years. If you have been getting up several time a night for that long. YOU are severely sleep deprived.

Sleep well!

How much sleep should your child get?

I am asked many times by parents about how much sleep their child should be getting. I always advise parents to think about sleep in 24 hour blocks and not night and day. We want our children to be getting most sleep at night and just top themselves up during the day with naps (if needed). If your child is napping well during the day and going to sleep at night at a reasonable time (for your family), sleeps well at night and wakes in the morning is a happy mood then everything is fine. If your child takes a long time to fall asleep, wakes early in the morning or spends a lot of time awake during the night, then you may want to shift things around a little. Firstly, you should cut down on naps (or stop them altogether). When you alter any sleep you shouldn't expect to see any change for at least 3 days.

Here's a copy of my sleep table:

Newborn – Naps 1 – 2 hrs in every 3, 5 – 6 hrs at night.

1 – 3 months - 3 naps X 1 ½ hrs + catnap. 8 hrs at night.

4 – 6 months - 2 naps X 2 -3 hrs. Or, 3 naps X 2 hr + 1 ¾ hrs. 10 – 12 hrs at night.

7 – 8 months - 2 naps X 1 – 2 hrs, 10 – 12 hrs at night.

9 - 12 months - 2 naps X 1 ½ hrs, 11 – 12 hrs at night.

13 – 18 months – 2 naps 1 X 1 hr, 1 X 1 ¼ – 1 ½ hrs, 11 ½ hrs at night.

18 months - 1 nap X 2hrs, 11 ½ hrs at night.

2 years - 1 nap X 1 ½ hrs, 11 ½ hrs at night.

3 years - 1 nap X 1 ¼ hrs, 10 ¾ hrs at night.

4 years - No nap, 11 ½ hrs at night.

5 years - 11 hrs at night.

6 years - 10 ¾ hrs at night.

Remember, your child is an individual and has their own sleep needs, the above should only be used as a guide. As long as your child is waking in a good mood after naps and in the morning, you can feel assured that they are getting the right amount of sleep.

If you are interested in my sleep coaching packages entitled 'Finally get some sleep' please have a look at my website www.rebeccamichi.com

Rebecca