Did going on holiday upset your child’s sleep patterns?
If you have just been on holiday and your child’s sleep has gone completely out of the window, then you are not alone!
It is a common time of year for everything to go pear shaped, which can be caused by:-
- Parents often having a much more relaxed approach to bedtime.
- Your child sleeping in a different bed – possibly even in the same room as you.
- A change in time zones.
What I typically see is that Parents will behave differently in a desperate approach to get their child to sleep in the new surroundings/circumstances. The child can feed off the behaviour of the parent and very quickly sleep becomes a huge issue.
It is not unusual to hear that new crutches have been developed that were never there before, such as:- Lying down next to your child to get them to sleep, rocking your child to sleep or pushing them around/driving them to sleep.
Let me just remind you that it is perfectly OK for you to have a relaxed approach.
A change in location is exactly what we all need in life and these are situations I hope your child will enjoy multiple times as they grow. They should be able to stay up late, sleep in a different bed, and get on a plane and fly to another country. What you should be able to achieve as parents is an immediate return to normality as soon as you get home – otherwise everyone will be sleep deprived and you will all be miserable.
Here are some quick tips to getting back on track:-
First – Identify what crutches you have began using in desperation to get them to sleep.
Then – Resume all normal bedtime routines and times that you had in place before – In my experience it is not always true that a later bedtime results in a lie in the next morning.
Make sure that – Once you begin, you are consistent!! – Don’t train your kids to believe you don’t mean what you say. If needs be, sit beside them initially until they fall asleep to make sure that you help them to learn to self settle, but don’t hold them, or lie down with them if this was not normal for your child.
A clear consistent routine will do wonders for you to get your child back on track with sleep. Just remember to stay calm and relaxed at all times.
If you want more information on the next Sleep Clinic or any of my 1-2-1 sessions or online programmes, please feel free to contact me:-
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