Have you thought about how the holiday festivity may affect your little one’s sleep?
More often than not travelling, or the general high energy atmosphere at Christmas can disrupt your child’s sleep. Since this is a time when they may be in the company of people they don’t know very well, or there is lots of noise and activity, little ones can easily become over stimulated. Which results in disrupted sleep and overtiredness.
Here are some tips to make sure your little one gets the sleep she needs over the Christmas period.
1 – Use a baby sleep CD or something that plays gentle, rhythmic sounds. This will help to drown out the noises in the house and encourage your little one to sleep longer.
2 – Try to stick to your little one’s regular sleep routine but allow her to sleep for longer at nap times if she wants to. She may need more time to process all that’s going on around her when she’s awake.
3 – If grandparents and other visitors want the little ones to stay up late, remember that it’s you who will have to deal with a fussy and cranky child the next day. Worse, your very little ones may become overtired, causing them to wake frequently at night. What I do, is say something like this… “oh I know, I wish I could keep them up too, but it’s so unfair on them when they’re sooo tired and I do want them to enjoy this holiday…” then I whisk them off to bed. If you involve your visitors in the bedtime routine that often pleases everyone as well. Take an opportunity to sit down with a glass of wine while grandma baths the baby!
4 – Perhaps when you were small Father Christmas would fill your stocking in your bedroom and you’d like to continue this tradition. But consider how scary it may seem to your toddler or pre-schooler that a strange man with a huge white beard may be visiting them when they’re asleep! It’s often easier to say that that Father Christmas will leave the pressies and stocking fillers in the front room meaning no nightmares or pre-bedtime fears.
5 – Keep an eye on what your little one is eating. Too much sweet stuff right before bed can make it hard to settle down and even cause an upset tummy. Stick to foods that your little one is used to and keep treats to a mininimum. Boring as it sounds!
6 – Stick to your usual routines to help little ones transition between awake time and sleep. Nap and bedtime routines will be more important than ever when there is so much fun to be had and will mean your little one rests better at each sleep. And finally, enjoy yourself.
Have a really great Christmas holiday!
