Handy Sleep Tips for exhausted parents with a baby or toddler. Every parent wants the best for their baby or child and does what they believe is right. Living with sleepless nights tends to add more pressure, leaving working parents often working harder to be the ‘perfect’ parent and accommodate all their child’s needs and requests.
Here are 10 Sleep solutions for Sleep-Deprived professionals who want a happy child or more child-free time.
1. PARENT GUILT -Don’t feel guilty after being at work all day, spend more quality time together put your child to bed later. 🙂
2. LOVE TECHNOLOGY? -Allow your child to watch TV or play their favourite game on the i-pad before bedtime, this gives you a bit of a break.
3. NIGHT WAKINGS? When your baby or toddler has woken in the middle of the night and refusing to resettle take the easy option, offer milk immediately. If this should fail, give up fast whisk them directly into your own bed, this ensures you safely get some extra sleep.
4. NO ‘ME’ Time? -When the children/your partner have finally gone to sleep, stay up later enjoy some ‘ME’ time, ignore the fact you are exhausted and have another busy day ahead.
5. TEARFUL CHILD? If you make promises that you can’t keep, make yourself feel better and give in to ALL your child’s requests at bedtime. Don’t worry about causing further delays or if your child still cries when you eventually leave the room.
6. MISS SPENDING TIME TOGETHER with your child?-Rock, hold or sit and stay with your child for as long as it takes to get your baby/child sleep, it’s likely that you have no other jobs/work that need your attention.
7. UTTERLY OVERTIRED?- Explode, Raise your voice and Shout out, honestly don’t worry about upsetting your child or partner.
8. ANOTHER ‘BAD’ Night! Forget to set the alarm-OVERSLEEP, don’t worry about your reputation or the expense when missing meetings, turning up late for work or nursery drop offs, just make the excuse of having had yet another ‘bad night’.
9. TODDLER NOT SLEEPING THROUGH? -Buy another 10 books on SLEEP Start doing everything right with your baby or child without finding the answer to your own child’s sleep issue.
10. TWO YEARS OF 5AM WAKE UPS-BROKEN NIGHTS? – RESIGN, Be Resentful -Give Up all attempts to get more sleep in years 0-5! Relax, reassure yourself that your child will eventually sleep through the night, accept it is blissful and normal to give up two hours of your time to settle your toddler each night and continue to enjoy the 5am wake ups and requests for more cuddles.
Wondering what to do next?
You have two choices. Stay as you are, continue to live with a child who’s in some sort of pain; this may be physical or emotional and risks causing distance between you and your child potentially impacting your long-term relationship, whilst dealing with more upset and tears or you may be ready to invest in making some changes.
If you have concerns and wish to a nurture happy, healthy child and all else has failed, don’t berate yourself or give up, there’s always a solution. Mentoring is not just for professionals who wish to improve skills in their business, having an experienced parent coach with 30 years’ experience could be the answer to your parenting dreams and allow you to embrace an easier way to more sleep and a calmer homelife.
To find out more about gentle baby & child Sleep Programmes or Family Sanity & Sleep Transformation, apply for a ‘Family Strategy’ call and discover how you might achieve your perfect work/life balance and start to enjoy more sleep each night.