3 Strategies You Should Use to Encourage Healthy Sleep Habits
Posted on December 29, 2015 by Ladybug Child Care CenterEvery morning, afternoon, or night when it’s time for a nap or full night of sleep, all parents face the same problem: Your child doesn’t want to rest. Sure, sometimes they fall asleep on their own. But all too often, getting your child to nap or sleep at night is a challenge.
This is problematic according to PhD and NCSP Hattie Harvey because “A good night’s sleep helps prepare children to attend to new experiences, positively engage with others, and build memory and attention skills.”
Luckily, there are a few key sleep strategies you should use to create a schedule that works for your child and allows them to develop properly. Now, let’s discuss!
1. Proper naps lead to optimal daytime functioning
According to Dr. Harvey, proper naps are integral to maintaining a sleep pattern and functioning at optimal levels throughout the day. And because so much development and learning takes place at such a young age, getting your child to nap is important.
But if you’re using a child care center, do you know how long your child actually naps to better control their sleep schedule? For many parents the answer is unfortunately no.
At Ladybug, we use the Tadpole app to show parents the exact duration of naps. As such, you can better regulate their sleep schedule and ensure your “little bug” is getting all the rest they need during the day and at night.
2. Create consistent routines
Consistency is one of the most important factors in any sleep schedule for children. This makes it important to prevent too much stimulation near nap times and to ensure children sleep at the same time every day to maintain an internal clock that works for both you and your child.
However, it can be difficult to keep efforts consistent when your child spends some days at home, some at child care, and some with family members or friends. But at Ladybug, we make it a priority to ensure your child naps at the same time everyday to maintain your strict schedule. This reinforces your own efforts and guarantees your child is able to make the most of their time spent awake (reading, playing, and pursuing other interests).
3. Recognize when your child is drowsy and not overtired
It might be difficult to get children to fall asleep when they are drowsy but it’s nearly impossible to get them to fall asleep when they are overtired. As such, recognizing signs of drowsiness – decreased activity, yawning, and a lack of focus – is important to prevent overtiredness which is often characterized by fussiness, irritability, and crankiness.
The team at Ladybug understands that allowing children to become overtired is a serious problem and one that interferes with their ability to learn and explore new interests. For this reason, we take naptime seriously and custom-tailor our attention to each child to ensure yours is accounted for when they need sleep.
Reinforcing good sleep habits starts at Ladybug Child Care Center
As an adult, you understand the value of good sleep but children aren’t quite the same. This makes it all the more important to partner with a child care center that understands the value of communication and dedication to a regular sleep schedule.
With over 30 years of experience in child care, we prioritize communication and make monitoring your child’s sleep simple through the Tadpole app. Because it’s free and easy to use, you can take advantage of knowing what your child is doing every day from napping to meals and beyond.
If you live in Chaska or Waconia and are interested in learning more or touring one of our facilities, contact a member of our team today! We look forward to meeting both you and your “little bug!”
Filed Under: Tips for Parents