Making sure your little ones are settled for the night can be a struggle for most parents. It is important for both you and your child to wake up feeling well-rested from a good night’s sleep. Here are some common themes I have seen throughout my time as a Sleep Consultant.
Why does my child fall asleep within 10 minutes but will wake up again shortly after?
Children can fall asleep due to exhaustion within 5 to 10 minutes, in these scenarios you often see numerous wake ups throughout the night due to being restless. Try and learn about the right bedtime for your son or daughter if you are experiencing the above. Most often, the best time for sleep is when they look less tired so they fall asleep slowly and relaxed.
Why is my child so full of energy at bedtime?
Your little one could have missed the ‘sweet spot’ for bedtime. Young children have wakeful windows and this helps us understand when sleep should be. If you miss that window then the body can release a hormone called cortisol which stimulates wakefulness hence all the energy and alertness.
Why does my child try to hold my hand / ask me to rub their back at bedtime?
This is a WANT as that is what they are used to when falling asleep and it can be perfectly fine if they fall asleep within a decent time and there are no wake ups at night. However, if you find yourself waking to help them fall back asleep with the same actions, this could be classed as a negative association. When they wake from a sleep cycle instead of transitioning into the next cycling independently, they full wake so whatever helped them initially is what the little one WANTS to go back to sleep with.
Why does my child make extra requests during bedtime routines?
This can be to delay bedtime which is very common especially in toddlers. Try and be firm with the same routine everyday. If it is only 1 book then stick to that, otherwise they could potentially become overtires which causes bedtime challenges.
Why does my child want me to lie down with them at bedtime?
This can lead to wake ups at night because if they fall asleep knowing you are there and wake up from a sleep cycle to find you are no long there, this can startle them and cause upset. Some parents end up co-sleeping during the nights it’s the only want they will fall back asleep with you lying with them. Co-sleeping is absolutely fine if done safely and the family are happy with this arrangement. However, if you are co-sleeping because it is the only way everyone gets sleep then try and change the way your little one falls asleep initially for bedtime.
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Why does my child take a long time to fall asleep?
Very similar answer to the one above about full of energy. Sometimes when a little one has skipped a nap, stopped napping or experiences a late bedtime the body starts to release awake hormones called cortisol. If you try to put them to sleep when cortisol hormones are high it is very difficult for one to fall asleep. You could be trying for a long time and in that time find it frustrating as it’s late or confused to why they are not sleeping when they skipped a nap? It could be over tiredness so the body is working overtime and can’t sleep just then, this can then lead to restless nights and early rising.