4 Tips That Can Help Your Kids Sleep Alone
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Let’s face it, as parents, at some point our children started sleeping next to us and never stopped co-sleeping. Maybe you co-slept with them since they were a baby, or maybe they waddled into your room one night because they had a nightmare or because of a thunderstorm and just never left. Whatever the case may be, as your kids get older, it’s imperative that they learn to be more independent and sleep alone. But this is easier said than done. In fact, according to The Cologne Children’s Sleep Study, 30 to 40 percent of children experience trouble falling asleep (1). But, don’t fret because sending your kids off to dreamland doesn’t have to be a long frustrating endeavor. It can be simple and efficient. All you need are the proper skills and a few tips up your pajama sleeves. So, if you’d like to know how to help your kids sleep alone, this is the article for you. Read on to know more!
1. Skin To Skin Contact Can Help
If you’re dealing with a little kid, then keep in mind that an adequate amount of skin to skin touch should be established. It is extremely important to your child as it can help them calm down and sleep better (2). Studies have also shown that a lack of physical touch only increases the excretion of the stress hormone cortisol in kids which in turn can lead to several problems that center around troubled sleep (3). So, if your child doesn’t get enough skin to skin contact during the day, chances are that they are going to be cranky by the evening and will not want to sleep alone. The solution here is to give them more hugs and kisses during the day so that when night falls, the separation is made much easier.
2. Camp Out Little By Little
This method involves the parent being next to the child as they sleep but not in the same bed as them. Instead, sit on a chair next to their bed or sleep on a camp bed next to theirs. The idea is to slowly move further away from your baby as they learn to fall asleep with you at a greater distance from them. This “camping” method was proved to be especially effective with toddlers and infants (4). In the case of an infant, the parent can sit right next to their crib and then slowly remove themselves from the nursery entirely over the course of several weeks. And for a toddler, the time can be reduced. It depends on how quickly your child falls asleep every time you establish more distance.
3. Bedtime Hour Fading
This is another technique that can work on both infants and toddlers. Instead of fading or slowly eliminating the action of soothing your baby whenever they throw a fit when it’s bedtime or start to cry, all you do is move up the bedtime by about half an hour to an hour later. Bedtime hour fading is about moving your kid’s bedtime to a later time temporarily and then gradually shifting it from the later time to the earlier time (5). So this way when the parents move back bedtime to the original time, the kids are more likely to fall asleep by themselves. No muss, no fuss.
4. Rescripting The Nightmare
Another huge reason why kids dislike sleeping alone is for fear of nightmares. No one likes having disturbing dreams and kids often seek their parents out in order to be comforted by them. But this isn’t the long term solution to this problem. After all, nightmares are so common and happen often. In fact, studies show that around 80 percent of children experience nightmares that wake them up in the middle of the night, disturbing their sleep (6).
So it’s up to the parents to reassure them in a way that won’t deter them from sleeping alone again. One way to accomplish this is to try reimagining the nightmare, but giving it a safe, happy ending. Scientists also say that it can help to read and engage in book activities that will help your little one tackle their fears and comfort them in order to keep the nightmares at bay (7).
Figuring out ways to put your baby to sleep alone isn’t easy. It takes work, patience and consistency. As per usually, establishing a new routine will take time for your kids to get adjusted to. But with these tricks and tips you’ll be on your way to a childfree bed in no time. Happy parenting!
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