January 2019 - Child & Baby Sleep Specialists

How minimise disruptions to your sick child’s sleep

18th January 2019

Everyone is back at school and nursery and the inevitable coughs and colds are doing their rounds.

When your child is ill, his or her sleep is very likely to be disturbed by frequent waking, wanting drinks, cuddles and noses blown. Even children who normally sleep very well can be kept awake by fevers, coughing and blocked noses.

So how do you stop this inevitable event causing long term sleep problems for your child?

Your child will sleep more:

Don’t worry if your child is sleeping more at this time, this is nature’s way of helping him fight infection. In fact the illness itself actively increases his need for sleep to help support and stimulate his immune system.

Maintain your bedtime routine:

Try and keep up your normal bedtime routine.

Having a warm soothing bath helps to relax achy muscles and unblock noses.

A warm bath is a great trigger for the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and keeping to your routine will prove invaluable when he recovers and needs to start getting used to “normal” routines again.

Keeping close by at night:

He is very likely to need medication or frequent close attention during this period of illness and you may want to sleep near to keep a close eye on him.

To minimise disruptions and prevent unhelpful sleep associations that could be difficult to resolve once he is better, make up a bed for yourself in his room and stay close to him. Once he is well again it will be much easier for you to return to your bed than get him out of yours.

Being close by also means you can respond quickly in the night and offer reassurance and comfort as well as any medication he may need. As soon as he is comfortable again resettle him back down in his bed as quickly as possible.

Becoming ill during a sleep plan:

It is not uncommon for children to become ill during a sleep plan. Most colds are short lived and sleep plans should be put on hold until he is feeling better.

Once he is eating and drinking well and seems back to his “old self”, you can go back to your sleep plan.

There is usually no need to go right back to the start of your plan, you should be able to pick up from where you were when he became ill.

After about 3 or 4 nights of perseverance and hard work you will be back on track.

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Reset your child’s sleep for back to school time

3rd January 2019

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Back to school after the Christmas break

Reset your child’s sleep

Has your child’s sleep pattern shifted over the Christmas break?

Are they falling asleep much later then their usual bedtime and waking much later in the morning allowing you to have that much needed lie-in?

While this may be great for now, the thought of getting them up for school next week fills you with dread. Fear no longer, we have a great set of tips ready to get your child’s sleep back on track

Follow our four simple tips to ensure your child’s sleep is prepped and ready to go.

Gradually move bedtime earlier:

Before the new term date start to put your child to bed earlier by 15 minutes.

At the same time wake them 15 minutes earlier every day.
To suppress their melatonin get them into the light as soon as possible.
Repeat this pattern until you reach the time that is right for their child’s morning start time.
Your child should be falling asleep within 15 – 20 minutes.

Help them to feel sleepy:

An hour before bed we recommend:

Start thinking about your child’s bedtime 1 hour before you want them to be asleep.
Put the toys away and settle down for a cuddle, a snack and story on the sofa.
ALL screens should be off 1 hour before sleep; this includes phones, tablets and computers as blue light can interfere with the production of melatonin.
Lastly, in the hour before sleep don’t let your child have any caffeine or sugary food and drinks.

Their bedtime routine:

Have a quiet and calm bedtime routine focused around the bedroom and bathroom area.
Carry out the same series of steps every night so your child knows that sleep is coming. They will start to prepare for it as soon as you start the steps.
The steps should include a warm relaxing bath lasting about 10 minutes; a pre-bed bath should not be a play time.
Go straight from the bathroom into the bedroom – do not go back into the living area.
Pre dim the lights in the bedroom – this will help with the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
Have 1 or 2 stories.
Say good night and leave the bedroom; your child should be asleep about 15 minutes later.

Reset your child’s morning clock:

Being back at school means an early morning start again for many families. Morning is when we reset our body clock so it’s very important children are woken at the same time each day. A big dose of light will help to get your child up and running, so open the curtains straightaway. Light suppresses melatonin – the hormone that makes us feel sleepy.

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