25 Tips to Help Your Kid Sleep Through the Night [From the Mouths of Moms]

Can’t find time to read all of those parenting books and magazines?  Don’t have a lot of mommy friends to bounce ideas off of?  Kids go crazy every time you get on the phone to ask a friend their advice?  No problem; I’ll do the work for you!  Each Thursday I will be bringing you kid-tested tips and parenting solutions for a specific parenting challenge “from the mouths of moms.”  Last weeks tips for dealing with picky eaters got tons of attention.  Now here are direct quotes from a diverse group of mom bloggers with kids of all ages and tons of ideas on getting your child to sleep better.  Yep – meet your new mommy friends!

Alright, Mamas, how do you help your kids sleep better at night?

 

1. Consistency is Key
“If my boys go to bed at the same time every night they sleep better.”  Malia from Playdough to Plato

2. Use a Holistic Approach
“a healthy diet, a good amount of daytime sleep, a consistent daytime and bedtime routine, lots of love and cuddles, and positive sleep associations…”  Katherine from Creative Playhouse

3. Get in a Routine
“I loved the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth.  It was a great resource with my son, but not a fix it book.  Having a consistent sleep/nap routine has been great for us.  My preschooler still isn’t a great sleeper, but isn’t as terrible as he used to be.”  Kristina from Toddler Approved

4. Make Sure Expectations are Age Appropriate
“Let them get older…(OK, that’s not too helpful, lol)”  Alissa from Creative with Kids

5. Have a Pre-Bed Ritual
“A proper wind down routine (bath, story, singing, prayer) helps us.”  Anna from The Imagination Tree

6. Try an Earlier Bedtime
“if bedtime is a challenge, and your child resists, and stays awake in their room until all hours, try putting them to bed an hour or so EARLIER than you normally would.  Chances are, they’ve caught a second wind, and are re-energized, but if you put them to bed earlier, when they’re actually tired and ready for it, you may be surprised at how smoothly bedtime goes”  Jackie from Happy Hooligans

7. Encourage More Sleep During the Day
“I find that if my son gets plenty of sleep during the day he sleeps well at night.”  Adele from Playful Learners

8. Or Cut Back on Naps
“My two oldest didn’t start sleeping through the night until I cut out their naps during the day.  The pediatrician shook her head at me when I told her at my daughter’s 3 year visit that Priscilla didn’t take naps.  But Priscilla goes to bed at 7pm without any fits and gets up at 7am happy.  I must be doing something right!”  Krissy (ME!) from B-Inspired Mama

9. Try a Reward Chart
“I recently introduced the reward chart (which you can see here) to my 2.5 year old who was asking for water 2 to 4 times per night.  She has water by her bed but wanted us to give it to her.  I told her we are always there for her if she is scared or needs us, but water she needs to get herself.  She now finally sleeps through! Makes such a difference to us all!”  Maggie from Red Ted Art

10. Watch for Signs of Tiredness
“Good sleep habits start young.  Don’t leave babies to cry, but instead set the stage for good sleep.  Watch carefully for sleep cues and wind a tired baby down immediately.”  Allison from Train Up a Child

11. Use a Lovey
“It is important to keep a routine and special ‘nighttime’ indicators.  Bath, drink, teeth, prayers, bed.  If we go off sometimes he has a hard time falling asleep.  The indicators for him are a giraffe that makes a bubbling noise, teddy, and we always darken the house right before he goes to bed.”  Gina from famiglia&seoul

12. Try White Noise
“Bedtime routines and white noise have been our saving grace and by 5 months he was finally sleeping through the night.  There are free apps out there for white noise.  We just bought an inexpensive white noise machine for his room.”  Jennifer from Plain Vanilla Mom

13. Use a Fun Night Light
“JDaniel doesn’t like to go to sleep.  We got him a night light that shines the solar system up on the ceiling.  He likes looking up at the planets from his bed now.”  Deirdre from JDaniel4’s Mom

14. Try (Safe) Co-Sleeping
“There is no one strategy that works for every child.  I was anti-co-sleeping until I had my daughter.  She has a high need for physical touch at night, and it was the only way to get her and keep her asleep.  Though, if you are co-sleeping make sure you use safe practices.”  Rebekah from The Golden Gleam

15. Turn off the TV
“No screen time post bath.  Dinner, bath, bed.  Routine is key.”  Marnie from Carrots are Orange

16. Light a Bedtime Candle
“When Master D is washed and our teeth are brushed I say ‘let’s go light your bedtime candle‘ and so far (after a few months) he excitedly goes to bed!  And while I light his candle he gets into his pj’s.  Before blowing out his candle I ask if he would like to tell me one thing.  Sometimes he tells me he loves me or about his day or toys.  Then he blows his candle out and settles down for the night.”  Kelly from Happy Whimsical Hearts

17. Dream Feed
“Dream feed.  Feed your baby just before you go to bed.  Do your best not to stimulate or wake him, just nurse.  Once I started doing that around 7 months my little guys consistently let me sleep through.”  Allison from Train Up a Child

18. Invest in a Video Monitor
“We use a video monitor.  This means when he cries or makes a noise in the night we can look at the screen and see if he is okay.  I think this makes us less anxious and we pause for longer before going in to him.  This gives him a longer chance to self settle with it us barging in on him and properly waking him up.”  Goblin’s Mama from Taming the Goblin

19. Think Outside the Crib
“My biggest advice is to not make them afraid of their cribs.  We started with a sleep mat on the floor.  My son would roll around on the mat with me right there beside him until he fell asleep.  Once he got comfortable with the sleep mat, I moved him to the crib.  I stayed in the room, folding laundry or reading, occasionally rubbing his back or patting him.  Eventually he would roll around until he went to sleep.  Once he learned to go to sleep on his own, when he woke up in the night, he could put himself back to sleep, so I didn’t need to get up.  If he couldn’t put himself back to sleep, I knew there was a problem.”  Kristin from Sense of Wonder

20. Let them “Read”
“I tell my son he can ‘read’ to himself in bed.  That way, I’m not saying he has to go to sleep.  I let him ‘read’ with the light on for awhile, then turn it off, and he usually falls asleep pretty soon after that.  I also use this technique some days at nap time, since the word ‘nap’ can lead to resistance.”  Jennifer from The Good Long Road

21. Make Sure Their Tummy’s Full
“My kids’ bedtime routine has always included a healthy snack and milk.  At least if they do have trouble getting to sleep, I know it won’t be because they are hungry.”  Krissy (ME!) from B-Inspired Mama

22. Don’t Watch the Clock
“Not looking at the clock when they wake up or count how often they wake up.  It doesn’t change how much they wake up, and you feel more stressed.”  MaryAnne from Mama Smiles

23. Know that Every Child Is Different
“From a twin mummy perspective I would say recognizing they are individuals and as such probably have different sleep needs and patterns!  Once I figured that out we utilized the space we had and gave them separate sleeping areas (forgot about the nicely designed twin room!!).  This way I wasn’t running in as soon as one made a sound in case they woke the other.”  Jodie from Mummy Musings and Mayhem

24. Ride Out the Stage
“Everything is a stage.  The baby that wakes up all night may turn into a wonderful sleeper once older (mine did).”  Bethany from No Twiddle Twaddle

25. Don’t Blame Yourself
“I had a sleep expert out to the house and she went over everything we were doing and told me my kids just weren’t sleepers…”  MaryAnne from Mama Smiles

How do you get your kids to sleep better at night?  Do your kids sleep through the night yet?  If so, care to share your tips? 

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