Let’s talk about creating good sleep habits. Here are my top tips:

1)    Sleep environment:

- Darkness with a nightlight depending on the age (and the appropriate nightlight cause some are too bright).  I like the pink Himalayan salt lamp because they have a reddish undertone.

-Noise machine (it must be 3 ft away from the crib/bed and not be too loud) 

2)    Sleep routine – Having a nice predictable rhythm that may or may not include bath time (make it relaxing), cream, pjs, brush teeth, stories and goodnight kiss. A visual timeline of this can help some kids be more mentally prepared with what happens next. @littlelennonsbusybooks makes a great version of this. 

3)    Diet – Certain nutrients promote good sleep like magnesium (which helps promote high levels of GABA), melatonin, calcium and potassium. Foods rich in sugar and caffeine will lead to poor sleep (Cacao powder aka chocolate has caffeine in it) so if your child is having trouble sleeping keep this in mind. Lack of sleep causes increased caloric consumption (moms now we know why it is so hard to lose weight especially while breastfeeding). Some foods that I like that promote sleep are:

-cherries 

-pistachios 

-bananas 

-kiwi 

4)    Media – There is a correlation between screen time at night and poor sleep. If your child has trouble sleeping try to avoid it. Also, this is especially important for phones and ipads as the blue light tells your brain it is day time. 

5)    OK to wake clock – Around the age of 2 and up you can introduce the ok to wake clock by showing them how it works before bed and letting them know they may call for you when the light turns green.  I am not into rewards but if they are struggling from a cognitive behavioral approach you can introduce a sticker chart. Every time they call you at the appropriate time they get a sticker. 

6)    Weighted Blanket – Some children are more wiggly than others and find a sense of calming of their body when using a weighted blanket. This is NOT for babies and not to be used until at least age 3/4 depending on your child. This organic weighted blanket pictured has holes in it which I prefer. I also love that you can pick the weight.

7)    Importance of Stories – I have recently started having my children be in bed while I use a flashlight to read a story from a book called Bedtime Story telling. They are two-four page stories that have good messages that my kids really love it. 

8)    FOMO – Does your kid have instant fomo the second you try to leave the room. A lot of it is feeling like they want to know what you are doing without them and that lack of companionship. This is one of the reasons I let my smaller dog sleep in the room with my kids. If you are not ready take a step to get a dog, next step is a beta fish. They don’t need much attention and kids love naming them and feeding them (always monitor how much you feed them). 

9)    A 1-3 minute Meditation and Yoga go a long way. I love the book Goodnight Yoga. Starting your bedtime routine a little earlier to give you and your child(ren) some time to do some calming activities before bed makes for a smoother process.

10) Consistency is key. When your kids are tired and don’t get enough sleep…it’s much harder for them to go to sleep and stay asleep