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Newborns
It is well know (especially to the parents) that parents with a newborn lose hundreds of hours of sleep in the first year alone. Here are a few simple tips to try and help new parents get a bit more sleep after having a newborn.
By trying these tips you can hopefully shorten the length of your nighttime feedings and divide them over the two parents, hopefully keeping the amount to accumulated sleep debt accumulated by both parents to a minimum.
Tips
Minimize nighttime activities. When you have to get up for a feeding or changing, try not to excite the baby with music, singing, or even the lights. Try to make everything as boring as possible.
If breast feeding, try and freeze some of the breast milk whenever possible. This way the parents can alternate between nighttime feedings.
Infants
Getting sleep when children are even past the newborn stage can be difficult to accomplish as well. Here are some sleep tips for parents who have children in the infant stage, and are still having trouble getting sleep at night.
Tips
Establish a regular sleep schedule. Try to have a set bed time every night, including the weekends.
Try to ignore the calls. If you know your child is fine (dry, etc.) then try and ignore the calls, otherwise your child will be demanding for you constantly. After a few minutes of unbearable crying, your child should settle down and fall back to sleep.
When your child starts teething and is not sleeping, visit your doctor. He may be able to prescribe something to dull the pain so you and your child will get a better sleep. Toddlers
Toddlers can sometimes be difficult to get to go to bed at night. Here are some sleep tips to help parents to get their toddlers to go to sleep at night.
Tips
Try and establish a good sleep environment. Provide a night light and keep the temperature at a comfortable level.
Reassure and comfort. This is the age of separation anxiety. This may delay your child wanting to go to bed with persistent demands. Rocking creates a soothing feeling which can relax your child. Although you may be tempted to stay until your child falls asleep every night don't, leaving before your child falls asleep every night will help to break the dependency.
Try and provide a surrogate parent. A toy or doll can help comfort the child even when you are not in the room.
Preschoolers
Here are some of Rogers Sleep Shops tips for parents with preschoolers.
Tips
Try and get your preschooler to take a nap in the afternoons. this will help and curb irritability in the late afternoon and early evenings.
Try to establish sleep rituals. This helps to establish a sense of security in a small child.
Avoid watching scary movies. Nightmares tend to keep a child up long after they have gone to bed.
Adolescents
Adolescents actually need more sleep than children do because of the changes they make during their transition into adulthood. Sleep-deprived teens will tend to drag themselves through high school, be more moody, lethargic, and unprepared to learn. The average teenager going through the transition into adulthood requires 9 1/2 hours sleep per night, but on average get about 6. Here are some tips to get your adolescent to get a better sleep at night.
Tips
Try and get as close to 9 1/2 hours of sleep per night.
Establish a regular sleep/awake ritual and try to stick with it, even on weekends.
Exercise for at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. Just make sure you do not exercise to close to bed time as you may find it difficult to fall asleep.
Try and limit caffeine later on in the day. This is not limited to coffee. Many soda's and chocolate bars contain caffeine. Encourage de-caffeinated drinks after 6pm.
Avoid alcohol. In sleep-deprived teens even low amounts of alcohol can have a disastrous effect.
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