3 Tips for Great Sleep In the New Year
What’s a New Year without a good ol’ resolution? But, forget diet and exercise! I have a new one for you. It’s focusing on getting your child well rested! How about having your child get great sleep in the New Year?
So the day is today!
Make your resolution to create healthy sleep habits for your family.
Is 2015 the year that you will vow to help your family get better sleep? Here’s how:
1) Stop Making Excuses and Be Honest with Yourself:
We all do it, you’re not alone. We make excuses as to why our children have poor sleep habits.
Do any of these sound familiar? (it’s OK if they do – I don’t judge)
- “We keep our son up late since we love spending time with him.”
- “Oh, he’s just a bad sleeper…. it’s genetic.”
- “I’m sure he’ll figure out the sleep thing when he gets older.”
- “We try and have him nap, but he just doesn’t want to fall asleep. He must not need naps.”
Yes, excuses are easy to make. Changing them… not so much.
Only when you’re ready can you start being honest with yourself and look to make positive changes for your family. Taking action is much easier when you realize there is something to change.
2) Set a Plan:
Once you decide that you are going to make a change, set your goals and develop a plan to execute.
- Do you want your child to nap more? Focus on napping at the age-appropriate time by focusing on the amount of sleep that your child needs
- Does your child take short naps? Figure out why and what to do to fix it.
- Is your toddler waking up in the middle of the night? Find out why to figure out an approach to take.
- How are you going to respond when your child protests, what time are naps and bedtime, what is your sleep environment like?
There is a lot to think about!
3) Ask for help:
Breaking habits or starting new healthy sleep habits for your family is easier said than done. You are soooo not alone on that one.
I wish I had a magic wand to make it for all of you but really it just comes from a great plan and great execution.
To start, there are no shortage of Moms’ groups on Facebook, sleep blogs to read, and books written by many sleep experts. Just be forewarned that when reaching out to a group, many people have very strong opinions about sleep and it might not be the information you want to hear or is helpful for you. It is also so easy to get caught up in information overload. Talk to your friends or family and see if they have any good ideas to share.
Of course you can always look into hiring a sleep consultant (me – I can help)! I can create a plan that works for your family and help you take action.
So the day is today! Make your resolution for better sleep! Who’s ready to get great sleep in the new year!
