Parenting and sleep deprivation are two things that unfortunately just have to happen together, everyone goes through it, sometimes just for a few weeks (you lucky lot), sometimes it can be for a good few years, i'm part of the latter club, Abbie doesn't always sleep through now and she's almost 2 and a half! Blinds2Go recently carried out a survey about what the most stressful parts of being a parent were, Bath time was one of the least stressful aspects of parenting with only 4% of the vote, the second most stressful part of parenting was shopping, whilst 11% of parents felt that eating out was quite a challenge with children! Travelling was one of the highest ranked with 23% finding that the most stressful, but what came in top probably won't shock you at all, BEDTIME.
It was even one of first things that popped into my mind too, whether you have a newborn, a toddler or even up to teens, it's one of those things that cannot always go exactly how you want it to!
I don't consider myself an expert but I wanted to share my tips on getting your little ones sleeping better, all of which worked for me and despite the fact Abbie doesn't sleep straight through, the whole getting her off to sleep in the first place is stress free 99% of the time..I hope they can help some of you somewhere! Routine I am one of those mums, the one who likes everything to be the same every day, I think children thrive under a routine of knowing whats coming next and what to expect, I also stick to the same timings if we're on holiday too. I think it's important to listen to your baby's cues, if they're grouchy at a certain time each night, then you can start off putting them down at that time every night, if they've not napped in the day much, chances are an earlier bedtime is in order, once they get the hang of it, their body clocks will slide into place and will become accustomed to it! Wind-down time We have this every night, it's not everyone's cup of tea but it really helps Abbie and works for us, at around 6.15pm, we let Abbie have some time on the iPad, she absolutely loves this and gives us the chance to clear up after dinner, whilst she winds down watching videos on there, sometimes she uses painting apps, which she absolutely loves, whilst other times it's surprise egg videos on YouTube, we let her choose exactly what she wants and once we've finally sat back down, she will come and snuggle up to one of us! At 7pm we head upstairs and run Abbie a nice warm bath, usually she's in at about 7.15pm (Johnsons Baby Bath really helps her to sleep better), and she plays or just chats until 7.30! Then it's time to wrap up snug in a warm towel and get ready for bed, then it's snuggles in bed before she falls asleep within about 20 minutes! Daytime Activities Keeping your little ones entertained throughout the whole day is definitely a challenge at times, but there are lots of things you can do which will wear your little ones out in time for bedtime! I find that Abbie sleeps so much better when she's had a busy week, it doesn't have to be every day, but if you can do something different every other day, you'll probably find they sleep much better for you at night! Whether it's a trip to the soft play area locally, a walk and play at the park, drawing and painting inside, meeting up with friends, or even dancing round the living room like crazy people (all of which we have done this week), it's so good for bonding and getting them involved, activities get their little brains working and anything that gets their legs moving will definitely help you when the evening draws closer! A few other little tips are investing in some black out blinds (you can even get removable ones you can take on holiday with you!), a white noise app on your phone to play whilst they lay down and even some soft classical music to sooth them too! There are so many things to try, find what works for you and your family and I hope you all get some better sleep soon! To see the rest of the list of stressful parenting situations, click here, which one fits best with you and your family?
Remember, it doesn't last forever :) x
