Is it ok for my toddler to watch a video or play games on a screen during his bedtime routine? It may be intuitive to think that introducing technology use into your child’s bedtime routine is an emphatic ‘No’. This may be based on your own experiences of using a device before [...]
Why keep my child’s sleep on track during the coronavirus pandemic? Sleep takes up about 33% of our lives – and dictates how well we are for the remaining 66%. In young children, sleep can account for up to 50% of their lives! So, yes, even though there is a lot going on in the world around [...]
How do I get her to sleep in her bed rather than the couch? If your little one is falling asleep on the couch instead of in her crib or bed, what probably happened is that she now associates some aspect of the couch or common room with becoming sleepy and falling asleep. To help her learn to fall [...]
How do I get her to stay in her bed? If your little one is running out of her bed at night, it may be because she thinks the adults in the house are doing something very exciting and that her room is a less exciting place to be. So, do something to switch that around – make her room a fun place [...]
What is a bedtime routine chart? A bedtime routine chart is a chart that lists a set of activities that your child can do in a specific order before bedtime. For example, he might have dinner, watch television, brush his teeth, take a bath, put his pajamas on, and then do a quiet activity in his [...]
How can I help him nap at home like at daycare? If your little one seems to fall asleep more easily at daycare for naps than he does at home, that possibly means that there are certain things at daycare that set the stage for him to fall asleep. Don’t worry, though, because these things also [...]
How can my preschooler fall asleep without electronics? Often, little ones need electronics such as a smart phone, tablet, or television in order to fall asleep. Considering how stimulating these devices can be for young children, discouraging their use at bedtime is a good idea. At the same time, [...]
Is it okay to let my toddler fall asleep to music? Little ones sometimes like to have some sort of distracting sound or music on while they fall asleep. Know, though, that this can become a habit. The possible issue with it is if she wakes during the night and cannot get back to sleep because the [...]
My child is having nightmares. What can I do? Having nightmares is common for young children. If your little one has nightmares, the important things to think about are: how frightened your little one is by the nightmares, how you as a parent react to them, the frequency of the nightmares, and [...]
Why is my toddler suddenly waking up at night? Sometimes your little one suddenly starts waking up during the night – even after a period where she has been sleeping well overnight. Know that all people wake naturally during the night – it is a normal thing. Sometimes, though, these wakings can [...]