Establishing Good Sleep Habits in Your Child!
1. Develop a calming bedtime routine with your undivided attention.
2. Encourage physical activity and time outside throughout your child’s day (but not within 1 hour of bedtime).
3. Make sure your child’s room is a quiet, dark and comfortable place to sleep.
4. Provide clear steps to a routine that will help your child know “what’s next”. For example: “It’s time for nap. First, let’s find your blanket and then I’ll tuck you in.” Routines and structure throughout a child’s day is helpful because it provides them with predictability that is calming!
5. Use a transition object such as a teddy bear to bed. This is a clear signal to your child that it’s bedtime.
6. Avoid television, computer games, wild play time and food/drink that you know winds up your child prior to bed.
7. Put your child down for sleep while he/she is still away. Say “good night” and leave the room. This will help your child learn how to go to sleep on his/her own.
8. Provide choices when possible such as what story your child wants or if the night light should be on or off. This strategy may prevent challenging bedtime behaviors.
*Adapted from the Making Life Easier Tip Sheet series developed by the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI), a federally funded center that translates extensive research into everyday practice to improve the social-emotional outcomes for children with, or at risk for, delays and disabilities. Learn more at challengingnbehavior.org/communities/families.
