Sleep is as valuable as gold for a parent, and for a toddler, they can’t seem to get the right amount or quality either. The dual struggle of the parent and child when it comes to the right sleep schedule is no joke, so it’s necessary for parents to figure out ways to incorporate better strategies to achieve the rest they need.
There is a lot of contradictory information out there, a lot of useless knowledge when it comes to getting more rest as a parent, and a lot of information that neglects the needs of the child as well.
These 6 strategies for getting more sleep will equally help you and your toddler get the sleep you both so desperately need.
1. Sleep Training Can Be Effective
Sleep training is always associated with letting kids cry it out, but it goes beyond that. Sleep training is a good way to help children learn to practice sleep hygiene at a young age and use techniques to better their sleep habits. If you take a look at https://parentingtipster.com, you can see that sleep training is among the many resources available online for parents when it comes to raising their children. Sleep training relies on different techniques for helping a child learn to sleep independently and sleep with better quality.
2. Practice Better Sleep Hygiene
For adults, you should be well-aware of your sleep habits because of your life experience. Sleep hygiene is the practice of being aware of your sleep routine and schedule and knowing how to fix it. Factors of sleep hygiene include avoiding blue light too close to bedtime, removing electronics from the bedroom, avoiding eating too much or the wrong foods before bed, and creating a consistent schedule. These are helpful in allowing you to create a rigid routine to follow that can align with your toddler’s sleep habits as well.
3. Create a Good Sleep Environment for the Baby and You
Both you and your baby need a good sleep environment. As mentioned, sleep hygiene focuses on removing distractions and other impairments to sleeping, like electronics, which is good for both you and the child. Provide your children’s room with soothing objects and provide them with an environment free (or as free as possible) from light pollution. Where you sleep is important, so keep it strictly dedicated to the act of sleeping so it isn’t filled with distractions or annoyances that will interrupt your schedule. You can also consider using a good sleep consultant for babies as well.
4. Don’t Rely on Sleep Aids
This is more for the parents, but sleep aids are a crutch you shouldn’t rely on. It’s not to shame you forever needing a sleeping pill or something to help you drift off easier, but an overreliance can cause more harm than good. It can cause chemically assisted sleep which makes it harder to kick the habit and get back into a natural groove, and it can be a problem if you are sleeping too deep and can’t hear your baby cry, etc. Sleep aids can help, but talk to your doctor and try to avoid them.
5. Improve Your Sleep with a Healthy Lifestyle
If you want to improve your sleep naturally, you should adjust your diet and lifestyle choices. Eating better, exercising, and staying hydrated will allow you to sleep better. Taking on a newer, healthier lifestyle is good for providing yourself with the health benefits it affords, but it will also help you be a more energized and attentive parent. Playing with your kid can exhaust you, so you need to fuel your body right and have the fitness to keep up so you aren’t tired all of the time during the day.
6. Allow Your Partner to Take On Responsibilities
Lastly, you need to know when to delegate duties to your partner. It’s okay as a parent to take a break and accept when you’ve done enough. You can’t handle everything, so find time to discuss a game plan with your partner on what roles you should be taken on. Dividing this labor will allow both of you to take on enough without exhausting yourselves for the sake of your child.
If you have any friends who are parents, they’ve likely told you numerous times that sleep is an absolute blessing, so it’s important to do your best to make sure you get enough. These strategies will help you and your toddler get the proper rest so you can enjoy time together and a healthy, happy life.