4 Tips for your child to go to bed without protest

Getting children to lie down and fall asleep can be a Herculean task. Babies and toddlers are famous for their anti-sleep antics, so much so that it has been well documented in books, television shows, and movies for years. But what some studies have found is that this may not only be due to the rebellious nature of young children but may actually be caused because we send them to bed regardless of their biological rhythm.

One of the things I learned from so much research on children's sleep, and that I practiced during my son's childhood, is that, according to pediatrician and infant sleep expert Dr. Marc Weissbluth, most children perform better in this Be afraid if they are put to bedtime earlier and consistently. His suggestion is that babies and toddlers should sleep between 7 and 8 at night (if they nap during the day) because that is when their bodies are most susceptible to sleep. This made sense to me, so even though I am an owl when it comes to sleep cycles, my son tends to fall asleep a little after 8 almost every night, and it has worked very well for us, he is sleeping between 11 and 11.5 hours every night at 19 months of age.

Recent research from the University of Colorado, Boulder, seems to have shown the importance of teaching children to go to bed at an appropriate time and to fall asleep. For years, scientists have studied circadian rhythms and the effects of hormones on adult sleep, but very little research has been done on children. However, sleep specialist Monique LeBourgeois has found that the average preschool-aged child experiences an increase in the hormone, sleep-inducing melatonin, around 7:40, and falls asleep easily about an hour later. But each child is a world and the sleep cycles change continuously.

So what does this mean to us as parents? Basically, we should periodically take time to monitor our children's behavior so that we can change their schedules based on their current biological rhythms, rather than maintaining a rigid schedule for years. Here are some more tips to help your little one make bedtime easier.

1. Make naps a priority. All sleep experts agree that daytime sleep is crucial when it comes to preventing babies and young children from becoming too tired. This often results in a grueling fight against sleep that you want to avoid at all costs.

2.Outside the electronics. Televisions, cell phones, and tablets emit a type of light that confuses the circadian rhythm, and you should avoid letting your child use them around bedtime. Rather, involve them in relaxing activities like reading or a simple puzzle.

3. Have a fixed routine. Routines are comforting for children, they like to know what to expect and thrive when those expectations are met regularly. A fixed nightly routine that begins 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime will signal to your child that it is time to relax and go into sleep mode.

4. Turn off the light. Try to darken the light in your house before bedtime to signal, once again, that the day is coming to an end. So, make sure your little one's bedroom is dark enough for a comfortable sleep, but not so dark that you don't perceive that it was dawn until hours after you did. Natural light is an important signal for the body to keep the sleep-wake cycle in order.