Sometimes putting younger children to bed is not an easy task and affects both parents and the children’s own rest, who, whether they sleep better or not, will have to face the morning after a new day of school . But what can be done in these situations?
The main thing is to be calm and be aware that your children are not the only ones who end up going to bed late , sleeping in your bed, or being defeated on the sofa. And, although this does not seem like a consolation or solve the personal and own situation, the truth is that it helps parents to relativize problems a little, feeling part of the rest, of a whole.
Getting children between the ages of 3 and 5 years to sleep alone and at their hours requires a series of routines that should be worked on from almost birth . Even so, the problem has a solution, although it will require more discipline and persistence than if it had been worked conscientiously on it from the first months of life.
How to get children to stay in bed?
- Offer your children security
It is completely normal for young children to have fears and worries . You, as a parent, know that they are safe in their beds and that they will rest well or even better than outside of them, but they don’t necessarily know or believe it. Let’s not forget that they are tiny beings and that anything can scare them or make them feel insecure. If their parents are not there when that happens, they will feel scared and will be afraid of the dark .
This type of feeling causes children to take on fears and certain emotional problems , which could get bigger as time goes by if they are not stopped. Later, when it is time to close the eyes again to sleep, those fears and those feelings surface, creating anxiety and preventing a proper rest or even favoring the parade of the little ones to their parents’ bed.
- Follow pleasant routines
The same order of things every day increases the feeling of security in the little ones , so do your best to establish a series of pleasant activities prior to sleep and maintain them over time. For example, a warm bath before dinner, a short massage time or a calm tickle after dinner all together as a family, or reading aloud stories with the children already in bed, can be good strategies that serve to that the little ones go to normalize the fact of going to sleep day after day.
- Never make fun of their fears
If your children one day tell you that they are afraid and that is the reason why they appear in your bed or cannot sleep well, listen to them and understand them . Children do not need adults to minimize their problems or make fun of them, so do not resort to phrases such as “nothing happened” or “that is silly”, since this will create more anguish than already exists around you. Remember that fears are not usually rational, so trying to explain that they are wrong or that there is nothing to fear will not necessarily achieve the desired objective. It helps better to find solutions and to find the lost security.
- Establish relaxation mechanisms
Just as some adults have more difficulties sleeping at night than others, there are boys and girls who also have them and it must be assumed. If this is the case with your son or daughter, make them learn to relax before going to sleep, since trying to lie down with a restless body or mind is a barrier that, obviously, will prevent them from sleeping well.
For some children, music or certain ambient sounds help. Audio stories can also be a good help, since in addition to offering them very pleasant fantasy worlds, the sound of the story will make them fall asleep more easily.
Educating children in physical exercise and relaxation methods such as yoga, can be a complete success as well, as well as an invaluable help to fall asleep and to acquire healthier habits, capable of reducing stress and anguish in body and mind thanks to inhalation and exhalation.
- Comfortable beds with security systems
Make sure your children’s bed is comfortable enough or that they don’t sleep with pillows that are too high, etc. Protective barriers are also essential to fall asleep, since children will sleep much more relaxed if they are not likely to fall to the ground or suffer a mishap, feeling safer and more protected.
Beds that are too high can also create restlessness and restlessness in children, especially since if something finally scares them, they will not be so free to seek comfort and support from their parents.
Finally , add emergency lights and leave the doors open . This way they will feel more protected and watched by you, and will have a better chance of falling asleep in peace.
- Zero scream and anger
Having children stay up all night, coming to visit you or pretending it is not time to sleep, can be very frustrating and make parents lose their nerves with it and what they see coming: a new work and school hours without being able to rest properly. But nobody said it was easy and trying to understand the discomfort of the little ones will be essential to not lose your nerves, and to not turn the night into a screaming session with even more nerves and anxiety, completely antonyms for rest.
- Don’t let them get up
Finally, and if you want your little ones to start sleeping on their own without any further shocks, it is very important that you do not allow them to get up. This means that, when they do, you accompany them back to their bed and transmit all the tranquility of the world, without reproach or anger. Look for phrases like, “I’ll be here with you … you’re safe in your little bed.” Let him know that you will watch his sleep all night and that you will be by his side when he needs you .
With many doses of affection and security, the children will grow up and abandon some of their childhood fears, knowing that their parents would not allow anything bad to happen to them.
