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Top 5 Sleep Tips for Infants and Toddlers

Updated on August 3, 2014

Getting Babies and Toddlers to Sleep Through the Night

Bedtime can be a tough time for parents and young children. Disconnecting from the stimulation of the outside world and moving into quiet time, temperature regulation, fears of being alone in the dark, nightmares, growing pains and weaning are just a few of the challenges that children and parents have to work through in the first five years of childhood. In this lens I'll share some great tips for getting your kids to sleep without struggling and with a lot of fun!

My mother had five children and had us all sleeping through the night by our second month! (She fed us cereal with formula very early...not totally recommended at such an early age). My own two children were almost a year and a half old before they slept through the night. I don't recommend that! My toughest times were colic, teething, weaning, illness, bad dreams and overstimulation. I wish I knew then what I know now.

Photo credit from AllPosters

By What Age Can a Baby Sleep Through The Night? - Every child is different

No right or wrong answers here! If you have more to add on this subject please add a comment.

By what age did your children sleep through the night?

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Overstimulation

Tip #1: Eliminate Sensory Overwhelm

What is Sensory Overwhelm?

And how does it affects babies' and toddlers' ability to sleep

Sensory overwhelm is when the senses of touch, sight, hearing, or smelling are overstimulated, keeping a baby or toddler awake. It can also lead to tantrums (to release pent up energy), and not being able to switch off the conscious mind. There are many ways to balance the senses and make it easier for babies to sleep including a soothing bath with lavender essential oil (calms the nervous system), soft music, and massage. Rocking is also a great way to soothe a babies nervous system.

Rocking Chairs are Soothing - Great for reading as well!

Rocking chairs are great for soothing the nervous system. Often they put me to sleep before my son! Putting your feet up after a long day of running around after a toddler can help you relax as well. And that's key to getting your child to relax...your own relaxation!

Sleeping with Kids

It's an endless debate. Sometimes it's "in" to sleep with your kids and sometimes it's a cultural thing.

Are you a fan of kids sleeping with their parents?

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Colic, Teething, Growing Pains

Tip #2: Discover Homeopathic Remedies

Homeopathy Help for Colic, Teething, and Growing Pains - Gentle relief for babies and toddlers to sleep through the night

Homeopathic remedies are great to help calm, ease growing or teething pains and more. Gentle and soothing help for babies and toddlers.

A growing number of children today are having a tough time getting a good night's rest. In fact, according to a 2004 poll by the National Sleep Foundation, about 69 percent of kids age 10 and under suffer from some sort of sleep problem, and three percent of pre-school and school-aged children experience frequent nightmares. Parents are not only worried about finding ways to help their kids ease their stress and sleeplessness - they are also losing sleep themselves.

HYLANDS Calm 'n Restful 4Kids, 125 CT
HYLANDS Calm 'n Restful 4Kids, 125 CT
Hyland's Calms Forte 4 Kids combines 8 botanical remedies to meet the needs of children suffering from symptoms related to nervous tension, sleeplessness, and restlessness. This homeopathic medicine for children aged 2 years and older also relieves other symptoms that can inhibit children from sleeping well, including night terrors, growing pains and sleeplessness from vacation travel. A calmative solution to restlessness, Hyland's Calms Forte 4 Kids comes in easy-to-administer tablets that dissolve almost instantly in the mouth.
 

Restless Sleeping - Homeopathic solutions that help relieve teething discomfort naturally

My mother used to say that for teething you could rub brandy on the gums. Leaving the "alcohol" aside, I don't like brandy myself so why would I give it to one of my children? Luckily there are some excellent homeopathic remedies both in pills and gel form to help with teething. And don't forget having a toy to "chew" on can help soothe a child as well.

Colic Babies - The dreaded colic

Colic can kick in around 3 weeks for a baby and seems to last the first two or three months. When a baby is screaming its head off for hours, it is painful on you as well. Your own sensory overwhelm (your ears!) and sleep deprivation can make you more tense feeding the baby's frustration and pain. Walking or rocking with the baby while patting firmly on his or her back can help, sort of. Also light tummy massage before the discomfort starts is also helpful. Be careful of the umbilical cord at this age which is still healing.

Colic Calm Gripe Water, Colic & Infant Gas Relief Drops, 2 Ounce
Colic Calm Gripe Water, Colic & Infant Gas Relief Drops, 2 Ounce
The Homeopathic Gripe Water that WORKS! Symptomatic Relief of COLIC, GAS and REFLUX. Colic Calm is the ONLY gripe water that delivers: (i)FDA Regulated and Registered Medicine, unlike common dietary supplements (ii) Safe and 100% Natural (iii) No Side Effects (iv) Manufactured in the USA using only the highest quality natural ingredients (v) Completely free of alcohol, sugar, simethicone, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), herbal oils and extracts, citric acid, wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, and animal products.
 

Colic Relief for Babies - Try different colic products

Colic, a form of intestinal distress, is caused by a number of things including gas. Sometimes it just takes a while for the whole gastrointestinal trac to get working well (it's not doing any work prior to birth). Each baby responds differently so if one thing isn't working such as homeopathy try something else.

Baby Sleep Deprivation

Tip #3: Create Quiet Bedtime Rituals and Protect Naptime

Reading, Singing and More

Be consistent with rhythms and time

Stay away from video movies and TV for toddlers, especially in the evening, as the flickering lights affect their brain waves including sleep rhythms. Have special books and songs that are just nighttime rituals. Having the same rituals at the same time every night is especially calming for children...if maybe a bit boring for us! For an especially restless baby or toddler start with a soothing bath, and calming massage with a great oil. Then cuddle time while rocking, reading or listening to music.

Great Books for Infants and Toddlers - Keep special ones just for bed time

Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes (Board Book) (Nursery Time)
Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes (Board Book) (Nursery Time)
A board book for babies or toddlers and their parents, featuring a well-known nursery rhyme and interactive text.
 
The Going To Bed Book
The Going To Bed Book
For a little one who is reluctant to go to bed, sometimes a silly book is just the ticket. And when it comes to silly books, Sandra Boynton is the undisputed queen. In The Going to Bed Book, an ark full of animals watches the sun go down and then prepares for bed. They take a bath ("in one big tub"), find pajamas, brush their teeth, do exercises up on deck (imagine an elephant jumping rope, a moose lifting weights, and a pig doing handstands), and finally say good night.
 

Massage Oil for Babies and Toddlers - Use in a bath or after a bath

You can add some drops of this natural oil to a bath or massage a baby or toddler after a bath. The lavender is very calming for the nervous system. Bath and massage also calms and soothes the baby or toddler's sense of touch.

Sweet B. Soothing Baby Oil, Lavender, 8-Ounce Bottle
Sweet B. Soothing Baby Oil, Lavender, 8-Ounce Bottle
Made with pure Safflower Oil and Vitamin E to smooth and soften baby's skin Infused with Lavender Essential Oil for its calming aromatherapy benefits For a loving massage, gently rub a small amount of this oil with soft, long strokes over baby's legs and feet, maintaining continuous contact, move up to tummy and chest, then rub the shoulders and arms. Watch baby relax No dyes, no fragrances, no TEA or DEA, no sulfates, no parabens, no petroleum, no mineral oil, no silicone, no formaldehyde and no carbomer? just the good stuff!
 

Eliminate Sleep Deprivation - Uninterrupted napping and bedtimes

More children are leaving the home to go to daycare or nursery school. Waking them up to get into a car interrupts their sleep patterns. This book covers how to handle these kinds of challenges.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child / Your Fussy Baby
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child / Your Fussy Baby
This valuable sourcebook contains brand new research that - Pinpoints the way daytime sleep differs from night sleep and why both are important to your child - Helps you cope with and stop the crybaby syndrome, nightmares, bedwetting, and more - Analyzes ways to get your baby to fall asleep according to his internal clock--naturally - Explores the different sleep cycle needs for different temperaments--from quiet babies to hyperactive toddlers - Emphasizes the significance of a nap schedule
 

Baby and Toddler Illness or Bad Dreams

Tip #4: Make Some Magic!

Make a Pillow or Blanket Have Magical Powers

Toddlers love magical objects that can help them sleep

Growing up, my mom had a special blanket that had been her mother's. It was an old lap blanket that was very soft, from the days of cars with no heat. She called it the "Magic Sleep Blanket" and we got it when we were sick or something had upset us and was interrupting our sleep. We totally believed that it would help us sleep and that was enough to make the magic happen!

Pick out a special pet pillow or blanket (or a stuffed animal) and make it your "magic sleep" item.

A Special Blanket for Uncomfortable Nights - As Magical as they come!

Sarah's Silks Rainbow Baby Blanket
Sarah's Silks Rainbow Baby Blanket
* Recommended for Newborns and Older * A Special Gift For Newborns That Often Becomes A Child's Special Blankie. * Generously Sized At 40.0 x 40.0 Inches * Made Of 100% Silk and Cotton Flannel; Hand Wash In Cold Water, Line Dry, Iron On Low As Needed * Made In The USA Of Chinese Silk
 

Weaning

Tip #5: Weaning To Help Sleep Through The Night

Best Age for Weaning - Everyone has a different opinion!

When do you think is the best time to wean?

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Weaning To Promote Sleeping Through The Night - Toddlers who become dependent on breastfeeding to soothe at night can keep waking up

As wonderful as breast feeding is, it is one of the biggest reasons a toddler (over 1) has interrupted sleep at night. By that age it becomes more about soothing than it does food (assuming you've introduced solid foods at that point). Making the shift from feeding at night to sleeping at night is a tough one...here are some excellent books on the subject.

Collective wisdom from parents is the best! Add yours here...

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