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Spring Daylight Savings Sleep Tips

2/26/2015

Daylight Saving is fast approaching in the United States. On March 8th, 2015 we move our clocks forward 1 hour. The ultimate goal is to get back to your child’s normal routine and bedtime, which can take a couple of days or even a week for some. However, the process can be made easier if you are prepared. Here are a few tips to help ease the transition.

* If your child is still napping, make sure he/she is napping well on the days before the time change. A well rested child is more likely to make a smoother transition than an overtired, cranky one.

* Move your clocks forward one hour on Saturday night once your little one is asleep.

* Go about your normal day on Sunday, but consider waking your little one by 7:30/8:00 a.m. so that he/she feels tired enough to go to bed at his/her regular bedtime according to the new clock.

* Try your best to keep naps, meals and activities at the normal times you always do.

* For younger babies or children who need a more gradual transition, you might want to consider starting a week in advance and begin putting your child to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier, moving the time back every few days until you reach a full hour.

Wishing you a smooth transition and a restful night's sleep!

www.restwellbaby.com

Moving your child from a crib to a bed

2/17/2015

A lot of parents wonder when is the best time to move their little one from a crib to a bed. A lot of children love how safe and cozy their cribs make them feel. If your child is happy and content in his/her crib and he/she is not climbing out, then I would keep him/her in the crib for as long as you can. The majority of children move out of their cribs around age 3, but there is certainly nothing wrong with keeping your child in his/her crib until around age 4. Children who move into a bed too early do not typically have the verbal skills to understand bedtime rules such as "stay in bed all night" and they will repeatedly get out of bed throughout the night. If your child starts trying to climb out of his/her crib you can lower the crib mattress as low as it will go, try dressing your child in a sleep sack so that he/she cannot lift his/her leg high enough to climb, remove any large stuffed animals that might serve as a catapult, put pillows on the floor for safety in case he/she actually makes it over, and be loving, but firm and let him/her know that there is "no climbing". Once your child is ready for a bed you can have him/her pick out some special sheets, remind him/her of the bedtime rules (stay in bed all night) and consider putting up a bed rail and/or pillows on the floor in case he/she falls out.

Wishing you all a restful night's sleep!

www.restwellbaby.com

Do you have an early riser?

2/5/2015

Do you have an early riser - a child who wakes up before 6am? Believe it or not, but the most common reason little ones wake up early is generally because they are overtired. When a child is overtired what usually happens is a rush of cortisol (a type of stress hormone) is released in the body and that makes a child feel wired/overstimulated, which then makes it much more difficult for a child to settle and calm down. Children that are overtired don't sleep as long or as well as well-rested children. If your little one is an early riser, here are a few suggestions:

1. Try to put your child to bed during his/her age appropriate sleep window. Going to bed too late can cause a child to be overtired.

2. Making sure your child is getting the right quality and quantity of naps is important. If a child does not nap enough for his/her age during the day he/she will be facing bedtime overtired and cranky.

3. Having your child stretch too long between the end of the last nap of the day and bedtime can also lead to a child going to bed overtired. You also do not want your child to nap too close to bedtime (ex: a 6pm nap before a 7pm bedtime is not recommended) as that can interfere with sleep as well.

4. It's best to put your child to bed in a drowsy, but awake state. If your child goes to bed exhausted, then he or she is not really able to learn how to put him or herself to sleep. And if your child does not know how to put him/herself to sleep at bedtime, then he/she is going to have a much harder time doing it at 4:00 in the morning.

Wishing you a restful night's sleep and a good morning!

www.restwellbaby.com

Spring Daylight Savings Sleep Tips

Moving your child from a crib to a bed

Do you have an early riser?

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