Early Risers
Our latest blog gives an invaluable insight into the work of one of our fantastic trainers, Katherine, who is an infant care specialist and sleep and behavior consultant. We are sure a lot of you will find this useful. Enjoy!
Summer Seems to Have Arrived…
Even if it has bought a few thunderstorms with it!
The sun wakes up nice and early, the birds start to sing happily and tired parents up and down the country put their faces under the covers and try to sleep just a little bit longer.
Morag is not one of those parents. Her twins are waking up at five o’clock every morning and Morag’s days feel very, very long.
Morag feels guilty of complaining as her twins, Ben and Jake, do sleep from six in the evening, so they are sleeping for eleven hours. This is great compared to others in their friendship group who are still having disturbed nights.
Morag does not want to go to bed whilst it’s still light outside as her and her husband understandably want a little bit of time to themselves. And they deserve it! After all, it’s hard for them to get any time to talk during the day as the boys take a lot of supervising and they are into everything at the moment.
What Can be Done to Encourage Ben and Jake to Stay in Bed a Bit Longer in the Mornings?
I suggested to Morag that she shifts the day by 20 minutes, so in the morning delay everything; bottles, breakfast, naps, activities, meals, all by 20 minutes. Then at the end of the day push the bedtime routine back by 20 minutes so the boys go to sleep at 6.20. Hopefully, they will then start to sleep an extra 20 minutes in the morning. Even if they don’t, stick to the new timings.
Keep this new routine going for a few days and, once progress has been made, delay everything by another 20 minutes, beginning in the morning. Maintain this for a few days and then shift again.
Within a few weeks, the routine can be gradually moved so that the boys wake up at a time that suits Morag better.
Did it Work?
Morag has had a lot of success! In addition to the new timings, she has also made sure that the boys are out in the sunlight as much as possible to boost their melatonin as this will also help them sleep longer and to let them run around and tire themselves out.
The result? The boys are now going to sleep at seven o’clock and not waking until six-thirty in the morning which works perfectly for her family.
Contact Katherine
If you have a particular issue that you would like to talk to Katherine about, please email her at katherinebabysleepcare@outlook.com
Please note: these blogs are intended to inform parents and childcarers. The advice is generalized and does replace a personal consultation with a practitioner of your choice who will look in detail at your child’s particular needs.
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