With older children, 3 and up, you can discuss how important sleep is with them. Tell them how much more fun they will have the next day after they get a good night sleep. You can also tell them if you get a good nights sleep, you will be happier the next day and have more energy to play with them.
Tell them that the body fixes itself at night and does some growing which is why it is so important for them to go to bed at a reasonable hour and sleep until the morning.
How much sleep does your child need?
A 3 year old needs around 10.5 hours of sleep at night and a 1.5 hour nap
A 4 year old needs 11.5 hours of sleep at night, and some still take naps.
A 5 year old needs 11 hours of sleep at night.
6, 7, and 8 year olds need between 10 1/4 to 10 3/4 of sleep at night.
A 9 year old needs 10 hours of sleep at night.
Also, check out this website for fun coloring pages to help your children learn the importance of sleep: http://www.sleepforkids.org/.
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Nightmares
You will know your child is having a nightmare and not a night terror, because they will be able to talk to you. They may initially seem confused, but then should be able to answer questions you ask them.
So, what should you do if your child has a nightmare? You can ask your child if they would like to tell you about it. Sometimes, talking about it makes it less scary. Othertimes, your child will not want to relive it. You should explain to your child that it was not real, and it was just a thought in their head. All people have control over what thoughts are in their head, so your child should try to remove the scary thought. My daughter and I have a routine where she throws the bad thought out the window. And then we always put a good thought in to take the place of the bad thought. I spend some time helping her to think of a good thought to put it - usually it is a time we went to the beach or an indoor water park.
If your child has a lot of fears at night, talk to your child during the day about them. You can brainstorm during the day what good thought they would like to think about when they are scared.
Sometimes giving them some sort of stuffed animal or doll helps them feel not so alone at night.
You should also let your child know that you are there to protect them. That is your job and they do not need to worry. We have dogs in our house and also remind our children that the dogs will alert Mommy and Daddy if anything is wrong.
If your child is worried about something specific, such as a monster under the bed or in the closet, take some time to look under the bed and reassure them that nothing is there. Perhaps they would like a flashlight on their nightstand so that in the middle of the night they can check. They do sell a "monster spray", however my problem with that is you are essentially admitting that there are monsters that need to be sprayed away. I prefer to call it "bad thought spray". You can get a water bottle with some lavender in it and spray the bad thoughts away before bedtime.
Remember that to your child, these fears may be absolutely real. Make sure you discuss them with your child, but never make fun of your child for having them, no matter how ridiculous they may seem to you.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Check out my website, www.sleepwellsleepsolutions.com for more information.
Michelle
So, what should you do if your child has a nightmare? You can ask your child if they would like to tell you about it. Sometimes, talking about it makes it less scary. Othertimes, your child will not want to relive it. You should explain to your child that it was not real, and it was just a thought in their head. All people have control over what thoughts are in their head, so your child should try to remove the scary thought. My daughter and I have a routine where she throws the bad thought out the window. And then we always put a good thought in to take the place of the bad thought. I spend some time helping her to think of a good thought to put it - usually it is a time we went to the beach or an indoor water park.
If your child has a lot of fears at night, talk to your child during the day about them. You can brainstorm during the day what good thought they would like to think about when they are scared.
Sometimes giving them some sort of stuffed animal or doll helps them feel not so alone at night.
You should also let your child know that you are there to protect them. That is your job and they do not need to worry. We have dogs in our house and also remind our children that the dogs will alert Mommy and Daddy if anything is wrong.
If your child is worried about something specific, such as a monster under the bed or in the closet, take some time to look under the bed and reassure them that nothing is there. Perhaps they would like a flashlight on their nightstand so that in the middle of the night they can check. They do sell a "monster spray", however my problem with that is you are essentially admitting that there are monsters that need to be sprayed away. I prefer to call it "bad thought spray". You can get a water bottle with some lavender in it and spray the bad thoughts away before bedtime.
Remember that to your child, these fears may be absolutely real. Make sure you discuss them with your child, but never make fun of your child for having them, no matter how ridiculous they may seem to you.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Check out my website, www.sleepwellsleepsolutions.com for more information.
Michelle
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