Many of the children that I serve seem like they are not getting enough total hours of sleep in a day for their age. And while I certainly understand that different children MAY have different sleep needs, I also think it’s worth giving kids the OPPORTUNITY to get more sleep and see how their body responds. Here are two methods (from Elizabeth Pantley’s No-Cry Sleep Solutions for Babies through Preschoolers) for finding your child’s ideal bedtime.
Adjust your baby’s bedtime to be earlier by fifteen to thirty minutes every two or three nights. Pay attention to how easily your baby falls asleep as well as his awakening time and mood to gauge the effectiveness of the changes until you settle on his best bedtime, or
Beginning at around 6:30 PM, watch your baby closely. As soon as he exhibits any signs of tiredness, put him right to bed, even if his previous bedtime has been 11 P.M…. When you do this, keep your home quiet and the baby’s room dark so that it resembles his usual environment n the middle of the night. If this bedtime is substantially earlier than usual, your baby may think he’s going down for a nap and awaken after a short snooze. If he does this, respond very quickly so that he doesn’t fully awaken. Follow your usual method for helping him fall back to sleep, such as rocking or nursing; keep the room dark and quiet as you do during the middle of the night. It may take a week or more of adjustment to settle into a new bedtime.
Pantley, E. (2011). No-cry sleep solutions for babies through preschoolers (EBOOK bundle) Elizabeth Pantley. McGraw-Hill.
