18 Quick Tips To Help Your Child (and You!) Get More Restful Sleep From Sleep Expert Jenni June When your child fights sleep, everything feels like a battle. Use these science-backed tips to help your family get the zzzzz’s you all need.
1. For both naps and nighttime sleep, make sure your child’s bedroom is dark. Completely dark. Because of circadian rhythms, our brains associate light—even just a little bit—with wakefulness.
2. Keep your child’s room nice and cool. Our bodies produce more melatonin, the sleep hormone, in cooler environments.
3. Dress your child in lightweight pajamas with no socks.
4. Be sure all screens are off-limits at least 90 minutes before bedtime.
5. Make your child’s room a soothing, restorative space. They’re less likely to get out of bed and play around if there’s not much to play with!
6. Maintain the same nap schedule every day, even if your child doesn’t seem tired.
7. Have a consistent bedtime routine that begins immediately after supper and lasts no longer than 30 minutes. That way, you’ll never second-guess if your child is actually hungry when they’re complaining about needing a bedtime snack!
8. Be sure your bedtime routine is calming, not stimulating. No end-of- day dance parties, and no splash-fests in the tub. We don’t want them catching their second wind!
9. Help your child learn to fall asleep on their own by putting them down awake. Not “drowsy but awake.” Awake awake.
10. Don’t fall into the trap of being held hostage until your child falls asleep— no holding their hand or rubbing their back. Say your love-you-good- nights and leave the room with confidence.
18 Quick Tips To Help Your Child (and You!) Get More Restful Sleep | jennijune.com 11. Allow your child to sleep with a favorite object that helps them relax without your help, such as a favorite blanket or lovie. The idea is to help them associate sleepiness with something other than you.
12. Play low-frequency, ambient white noise during naps and throughout the night. Look for a machine that offers sounds like fans and vacuums instead of heartbeats, rainforests, and seascapes, which have loops and patterns that actually interrupt sleep cycles.
13. Set clear boundaries and stick with them. For example, if you’ve established you’ll read one story and sing one song, do no more than that—no matter how much your child pleads for “just one more.” You’re not being mean; you’re being a predictable, steady presence for them!
14. If your child fusses, don’t rush back in right away; let them try to work it out. If they seem distressed, then by all means check on them. Just be honest with yourself about the difference between “struggling” and “suffering.”
15. If your child resists sleep, control your emotional response, and don’t bargain or punish. Instead, empathize with their struggle and continue to hold the boundary you’ve set. “You’re upset because you don’t want to go to bed. It’s time for sleep now. Would you like to switch off the light, or should I?”
16. Wake your child between 6 AM and 7 AM—no earlier and no later. (Yes, even on the weekends.)
17. Establish a morning routine that involves changing your child’s diaper or going potty, getting dressed, opening all your blinds to the sunshine, enjoying breakfast, and spending a little time outside. When you’re consistent with this routine, you help establish powerful new habits around wakefulness and sleep.
18. Speaking of new habits—they take 21 days to form. So stick with your changes, even when it gets tough. You’ve got this!
18 Quick Tips To Help Your Child (and You!) Get More Restful Sleep | jennijune.com Establishing good sleep habits can feel like a lost cause.
You don’t have to figure it out on your own! My masterclass-style online course, Toddler and Big Kid Sleep, provides step-by-step guidance on exactly how to implement the tips I’ve just shared—and loads more.
First, you’ll learn my 4 Pillars Of Sleep Hygiene®, the essential habits and prac- tices that support healthy sleep. Without these pillars, no behavioral sleep training method will succeed!
Along the way, you’ll learn about circadian rhythms (our body’s internal clock) and how hormones like cortisol and melatonin affect sleep.
Finally, unlike many sleep training programs, you’ll learn several behavioral approaches so you can choose the one that best matches your child’s needs and your family’s parenting values.
Everything you’ll learn is evidence-based, science-backed, and proven to protect your child’s physical and emotional wellbeing.
Sleep doesn’t have to be such a struggle!
Access Toddler & Big Kid Sleep
18 Quick Tips To Help Your Child (and You!) Get More Restful Sleep | jennijune.com BONUS: A Deep-Dive Into Sleep Science
I take sleep seriously, which is why I’ve dedicated so much time and energy to honing my expertise in the science of sleep.
I’ve already done the research for you, but if you’re interested in learning more, check out the key resources below. (And if you’d like to read more, I’ve curated this list of helpful studies.)
• Circadian Phase and Its Relation to Nighttime Sleep in Toddlers • Melatonin • The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Body • How Parents Functioning Affects Toddlers’ Sleep Patterns • Blue Light Has a Dark Side • A Nightly Bedtime Routine: Impact on Sleep in Young Children and Maternal Mood • Is it Safe? The Last Word on Sleep Training
18 Quick Tips To Help Your Child (and You!) Get More Restful Sleep | jennijune.com © Jenni June, LLC | jennijune.com