Christmas Sleep Tips

Your Baby’s Hip Health

SLEEP TIPS

Sleep is complex in children, but you can implement healthy sleep habits at any time, it is never too early or late.

Children don’t arrive with a manual for the toughest and most rewarding job in the world so please do not beat yourself up if your child doesn’t sleep as well as you’d like them to. You are not alone and as long as you have the knowledge you need there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can start today and achieve better sleep this Christmas.

Here’s my Top Christmas Sleep Survival Tips: 1.Avoid over scheduling yourself – late nights on top of all the Christmas excitement will make sleep harder for an overtired child. I suggest sticking to routines and bedtimes as much as possible. Even if you are staying away or have guests visiting, be mindful children find it harder to cope when they are tired. An hour of missed sleep here and there all adds up! 2.Be 100% consistent - consistency is key.

Whatever routines you have established I suggest sticking to them. Whatever you do to settle your child to sleep at any time try remain consistent with your usual approach and support. This will avoid doing something different which will create really confusing messages making it harder for them to settle. If family or friends offer to put your little one to bed accept their help, let

them know what your child is used to, and you can enjoy some time to yourself. 3.Earlier bedtime - If you are going to allow your child to get up extra early on Christmas morning, make bedtime 30 minutes earlier for a couple of nights beforehand to allow them to be extra well rested in preparation. An earlier bedtime won’t mean they will wake earlythe next morning – we are just banking some extra sleep for them to cash in on

Christmas morning if you’re usually up earlier. 4.Naps - are super important and can be easily forgotten about in the hustle and bustle of

Christmas especially when you’re busy. Daytime sleep is a reflection on night-time sleep and

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS is a GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP!

skipping naps will cause your child to become overtired and difficult to settle. If your child misses out on naps use an earlier bedtime that day to compensate. I love an early bedtime of 6.30pm if needed. 5.Going away - If you’re staying away from home make sure you bring your child’s sleeping bag/ blanket/teddy along with some unwashed sheets from home so that the smell is familiar to them.

If you usually read stories don’t forget to grab a few books too! 6.Sleep space - If your child is old enough and usually sleeps in their own room at home, try not to worry if a separate room is unavailable and you all have to room share. I suggest trying to make some sort of private space/area for your child to sleep if possible. It can help if you’re able to build a temporary divide in the room e.g. drap a sheet over a clothes airer, once this is safe to do. The aim is to prevent over stimulating them if they have a night waking. We want to ensure they don’t get too excited to see you and think its playtime at 3am! 7.Black out - Ensure that your child’s sleep room is as blacked out as you can possibly make it. Use portable black out blinds if needed. Darkness will encourage your child to sleep better and longer, any daylight creeping in around the window edges will wake them up far too early. 8.Sleep time pushes - It is very normal and common for children to be more unsettled than usual at sleep time when they are in a new environment. They may need more help at bedtime or they may have some night waking’s. The best way to handle this is to offer your child extra reassurance.

I suggest to stay and support them going to sleep.

You can stay by their side or arm’s length away, every minute or two offer them some touch comfort that they like e.g. stroking their brow or their arm, patting them gently. You can talk to them calmly as the sound of your voice will help soothe them.

Whatever you choose to do, repeat these comfort steps as needed and when they are just about to drift off to sleep slowly reduce your interaction staying with them and stay with them until they fall asleep.

Your presence will help them feel safe and secure somewhere new. If they wake overnight support them back to sleep repeating the exact same steps each time. Finally don’t put too much pressure on yourself if sleep goes off track and try not to panic. When things are back to normal in your household make your child’s sleep a priority and do what you can to get back to your child’s usual sleep routine. Expect it to take a few days to click back into place but with time and practice they will get back on track.