Help Your Child to Sleep Better!

Get your child to sleep better. 3 simple suggestions from https://smartkids101.com

Tired?

Oh, don’t we understand! If the kids don’t sleep, parents often don’t get to sleep well either.

Many things can contribute to poor sleep habits in kids. Is your child a light sleeper or does he often wake up after having a bad dream?

That’s rough. In the middle of the night, EVERYONE needs to be sleeping, right? It’s hard to put on a happy face in the middle of the night when you’re just tired.

So, if your child’s waking is becoming an issue for your family, watch this video for tips to help him or her sleep better:


Top 3 Steps to Help Your Child Sleep

1. Recognize Your Child’s Feelings

Next time he wakes and comes to you (or calls for you), remember that’s very normal. Just listen to him. Let him tell you what he heard, saw, or felt.  Reassure him by speaking in low, calm tones. And if your family prays, go ahead and ask God to comfort and be with him.  Acknowledge his emotions and let him know that it’s okay to feel scared or have trouble sleeping.

Get your child to sleep better. 3 simple suggestions from https://smartkids101.com


2. Encourage Independent Problem Solving

Teach your child how to solve his problem without having to wake you up.

The next morning, ask him about what happened. He may want to talk some more about what woke him up and if he does, let him talk. This part can be hard, but try to just listen without fixing it. If he says he doesn’t want to talk about it, respect his decision and say something like, “All right, that’s fine. But let’s try something different next time to help you sleep better without having to come get me.”

Ask him to help brainstorm solutions with you, such as, he can turn up his nightlight a little bit, or ask him if there’s something that he think would help him feel safe or sleep better.

Did you know kids need at least 10 hours of sleep every night? Find out how to help your child get the sleep he or she needs from https://smartkids101.com


3. Support Their Solution, and Give Them Creative Tools

Implement some of your child’s ideas. Give him what he needs to be successful.

Did he think having a light might help? Then give him a small flashlight at the bedside table and tell him he can turn on the flashlight and look around the room himself.  Instantly he’ll be able to see that nothing is there, so he can go back to sleep.

Or maybe she just gets thirsty (or thinks she is) in the middle of the night? Keep a small water bottle on her nightstand so she can sip without having to ask you for help getting a drink.

With these simple ideas, your child can sleep better — and so can you.

What did we miss? Add your suggestions below, and you might help someone else whose child needs to sleep better!

Sweet dreams.


READ NEXT: Child Anxiety: What to Do and How to Help Your Child

About Julie Hunt
I’ve lived a full life with many unimaginable joys and heartache like you wouldn’t believe. Our blog exists to encourage folks to slow down, chill out, and love more.

10 thoughts on “Help Your Child to Sleep Better!”

  1. This is such a helpful post, Aubrey. My youngest is 9 so we don’t have to deal with issues like this anymore but I’ll be sharing this to help those who do.

    Have a wonderful week,

    Mary Beth

    1. Aubrey Hunt says:

      Thanks, Mary Beth! You, too. 🙂

  2. Triplezmom says:

    Our kids (9, 8 and 5) still like having their water bottles, flashlights and lovies by their beds. I just wish I could do something about my 8yo’s need to get up at the crack of dawn, literally. Visiting from #typeaparent.

    1. Aubrey Hunt says:

      Hmm, yes, I know what you mean! That is frustrating. Maybe I can gather some ideas in a future post? 🙂

  3. Brittnei says:

    My emotions are all over the place as I read this. I only have one biological child, a 2 year old so the idea that I wouldn’t be involved if my child wakes up is like “ahhh!” But I know that this is a reality. As he gets older he will taught to become more self-sufficient. These are really great tips. Thanks so much for sharing them with us at Countdown in Style!

    1. Aubrey Hunt says:

      Thank you! When kids are little, it is hard to imagine getting to the point where they’re grown and self sufficient. I have a hard time imagining it, too, but my Mom (Julie) assures me it happens! Haha. 🙂

  4. April says:

    Bee never gets the recommended amount of sleep. She wakes up every night and has since she was an infant. She seems to hate sleep, and is often up in the middle of the night, just awake, like she can’t sleep. We try in our room, in her room, taking her on the couch. Nothing in particular seems to be scaring her, except the physical act of sleeping. She’s may be close to 10 hours of sleep a night, but since she’s a toddler, how do I deal? Thanks for linking up with Countdown in Style.

    1. Aubrey Hunt says:

      Oh, man. That’s a tough one. It’s so hard to know because I think SO many things can affect a child’s sleep. Once shortly after my son moved into his “big boy bed” from a crib, I woke up in the middle of the night to some strange sounds coming from his room. I groggily noticed his light was on and stumbled in his room to find him wide awake and making up some crazy story with Legos and sound effects. It was somewhere between midnight and 1:00! Funny kid. My daughter woke often in the night from when she was born until recently (she’s just over a year and a half). I would go in her room and nurse and rock her every time because I didn’t want her crying to wake everyone else up… I got to the point where I just had to stop going in there and let her learn to fall back asleep on her own. It was hard for me to do, but now she sleeps better. Hopefully since your Bee’s still so young, her sleep cycle will even out on its own. I hope you are all able to get a good night’s sleep soon!

  5. It’s the worst when you child doesn’t sleep well. My son went through a rough sleep patch recently because of a bad cold and I thought I was going to loose it. In fact this is the first week that he has started sleeping to his normal time again instead of getting up crazy early. I’m one happy Mama now!

    1. Aubrey Hunt says:

      Oh, I’m SO glad it’s back to normal for you all, Elizabeth. Colds have a way of throwing everything off. I was such a germophobe this winter because of that! I know it’s silly, but I couldn’t help myself.

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