"Good night, room; Good night, Moon; Good night, cow jumping over the moon; Good night, lights; Good night, red balloons..."
Parents who have read the famous bedtime picture book "Good Night, Moon" a hundred times must have laughed when they saw this. Reading a book that your child loves, is it something you do with your child every night?
For parents, the time before going to bed is sometimes extremely warm, the fragrance of the little one who has just taken a bath, the soft hug in the bed, and the giggle of reading the time before going to bed, these all fascinate us, but before going to bed may also be the most collapsed time, singing lullabies one after another, we have yawned repeatedly, the little babies are still round eyes, jumping up and down...
To let children sleep better, we can start from "sleep hygiene", the so-called "hygiene" does not only refer to bathing and brushing teeth before going to bed, but also includes creating conditions for children to fall asleep and ensure good sleep quality for children, including a series of preparations before going to bed, children's sleeping environment, and our regular rituals together before children go to bed.
Design your own bedtime routine
For younger children, setting a bedtime routine is the beginning of a good sleep habit, and repetitive, regular movements can bring the following benefits:
1. Give your child expectations
2. Reduce conflict between parents and children
3. Help your child fall asleep quickly and stay up through the night
4. Contribute to language acquisition and development
5. Help children manage emotions and behavior
6. Improve family relationships
A bedtime routine is consistent with how the brain works. Dr. Alex Korb, a neuroscientist who is a resident expert in Ikumi, explains the benefits of sticking to simple bedtime steps: "For sleep, habitual, routine, and familiar movements reduce the stress that interferes with sleep. Everyone needs to calm down to fall asleep", so repeating familiar routine steps will calm children down, feel safe and relaxed, further form habits, and help sleep. “
The bedtime routine can be carried out from a very young age, even in infancy, and develop long-term habits, but it will be effective whenever it starts, even for us who are already adults. Studies have shown that for babies aged 8 to 18 months, bedtime routines can produce results in as little as three days.
How do I establish a bedtime routine? It's not just as simple as letting the child sleep, covering the quilt, and turning off the light, but it's not as complicated as some parenting guides recommend, twenty minutes of bathing, twenty minutes of massage, twenty minutes of reading, and twenty minutes of lullabies every day.
The longer the bedtime routine, we just need to give the child a clear signal "It's time to go to bed!" A simple bedtime set of steps — wash, change your pajamas, drink milk, and read a book — will be effective, and no amount of content will necessarily be better.
Each family can establish their own routine based on their own habits, Alex Korb advises, and the most important thing is for the child to feel that the steps are clear and consistent. Many times, children want to hear one more story, so it is better to tell them at the beginning, "This is the last story, tell it and go to sleep." ”
Where to sleep? This is a problem
Where children sleep is the first prerequisite for good sleep. In the United States, most parents attach great importance to their children's independent sleep habits, and will arrange separate beds and bedrooms for their children very early, but many young children will sleep with their parents, which is no problem.
Does the child have to have his own bedroom? Michelle Jonelis, a physician who specializes in sleep, says sleeping with children has historically been a common practice in many other cultures, and many times parents and young children sleep in the same room to care for them at night.
Although many parenting guides encourage sleeping in separate rooms with your child, studies have found that sleeping with children does no harm. For some families whose children do not have a private room due to housing conditions and other problems, sleeping with parents is also a very natural choice.
"It's okay to even sleep in the same bed with your child," says sleep expert Heather Turgeon, noting that half of the world encourages parents to sleep with young children, and parents in Europe and the United States sleep in separate rooms is only a cultural choice. The premise of sleeping with children should be that the quality of sleep can be guaranteed for us and children, and sleeping with children is not a way to solve certain growth problems.
Whether we choose to sleep together or let the child sleep on his own, it is important to arrange accordingly according to the child's stage of development. A big change from baby to toddler is one of the milestones of the child's progress, from a crib with a fence to a cot where you can move freely. When your child shows the following signs, it may mean that your home should change the bed:
1. The child starts climbing out of the crib
2. They themselves ask for a bed change
3. Your child has started toilet training, and changing to a cot will help them go to the toilet on their own
A constant and familiar bedtime routine will make your child's bed change process smoother, and of course, our routine will be adjusted as your child grows. In addition to this, other tips such as their favorite patterned sheets, fun new picture books, etc. will make children look forward to sleeping in the bed of the "big kid" even more.
Create a sleep-promoting bedroom environment
When it comes to the bedroom environment, parents who like decoration must be rubbing their hands again. A good sleeping environment avoids major sleep distractions, such as avoiding direct sunlight into bed too early, and avoiding overly upbeat music or exciting stories before going to bed. The National Sleep Society also pointed out that the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch will affect a child's sleep. We can also start from these aspects to optimize the child's sleeping environment.
vision
A dark bedroom does not improve a child's sleep, in fact, we need a certain amount of light to keep the biological clock in line with the environment. The human body clock is related to the blue light in the sun's rays, and when it gets dark that day, two hours before falling asleep, our body secretes melatonin, and the whole person enters a relaxed state of rest. That's how the brain rules us, sunrise and sunset.
However, blue light is not only from the sun, our daily computer and mobile phone screens and LED lights may emit blue light, inhibit the brain's melatonin secretion, interfere with normal sleep. Therefore, to ensure sleep, Michelle recommends using blue-free lighting at home, as well as limiting screen time for an hour or two before falling asleep, both for us and children.
hearing
Some children will be sensitive to noise and its sensitivity, but some children will not wake up after falling asleep with thunder, sleep consultant Sarah Mitchell said that everyone is born sensitive to noise, for children who are easily affected by daily environmental noise, it may be useful to use white noise to cover up the surrounding sound, white noise machine or a machine like an air purifier that continues to "buzz" can be tried.
olfaction
During sleep, most of our body's activities slow or stop, but the respiratory system continues to work. For children with weak respiratory systems, airborne particles and allergens can also affect your child's sleep. If your area is heavily polluted or your child has asthma, parents can consider using an air purifier to improve their child's health and sleep.
Sometimes, the continuous use of children's favorite essential oils or other spices in the bedroom will make the connection between children and the room more profound, and many people understand the calming and sleeping effect of lavender fragrance, which will make children familiar with and look forward to the smell of their bedroom.
taste
Even after children are past the age of drinking night milk, taste can still be an important factor in their sleep. Most of us ourselves have experienced the feeling of sleeping with our favorite toothpaste, and if we change the mint toothpaste that is too irritating, it may be the reason why the child refuses to sleep. Another aspect to consider is the contents of your child's dinner, especially what you eat an hour or two before bedtime. Children's bladders are much smaller than adults, and if children frequently get up late to go to the toilet, or have an upset stomach or gas, we may need to reconsider the content of our children's dinner.
touch
When it's bedtime, in addition to wearing soft pajamas and warm quilts like us, many children need more tactile comfort, and they may be in love with a small blanket or plush toy for years that will help them grow teeth more smoothly, change beds, and other stages of growth.
Like many growth problems, we do not need to worry about sleep problems, nor do we have to compare with other children when to sleep independently, when to change the big bed, etc., let children fall asleep and wake up in ease, warmth and love, is the most important thing. Here are a few tips for decorating your bedroom, and you are also welcome to join the discussion:
1. Decorate your child's house with animals they like, photos of happy moments, etc.
2. The color of the wall is warm and bright, you can paste some luminous star pattern on the roof.
3. Choose bedding with your kids and get them excited to sleep with their favorite cartoon characters.
bibliography
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