Archives for November 2016

Unexpected hurdles and challenges come with the territory of being a new mother; however, overcoming such obstacles puts you on the path to becoming a better parent.

That being said, some of the most common concerns among new parents are telling in terms of what keeps us up at night regarding our kids. Such concerns include:

• The inability to handle long, sleepless nights due to your child’s restlessness
• The concept of being a “perfect,” as parenthood oftentimes feels like some sort of competition
• Keeping your child healthy, from fighting off the common cold to ensuring they grow up strong

Believe it or not, there’s a common thread between the aforementioned concerns: that is, a good night’s sleep. However, it may not be your sleep that’s most important, but rather that of your child.

If your children have left toddlerhood behind but still can’t get a good night’s sleep, it’s time to diagnose exactly what’s going on in their day-to-day routine to cause such sleep troubles. Figuring out the problem and nipping it in the bud represents a win-win situation for you and your child, but where do you start?

Consider the following symptoms of poor sleep quality and how you can combat them within your home: the solutions may be more straightforward than you think.

Too Much Noise

Noise can take many shapes and forms: from bright lights outside to the buzz of street traffic, there are endless distractions that may be keeping your child up at night. Such distractions can be eliminated with some relatively simple investments such as:

• Shades and blinds to block out light: also, don’t neglect solutions such as arch blinds for those seemingly hard-to-reach windows
• A white noise machine, which can be purchased on the cheap, to drown out any distracting sounds from outside
• An eye-mask as a second line of defense against flashing lights (think: alarm clocks or other electronics)

* Quiet * Our little home instantly fell silent with this little guy off to zzzzland. A bit adamant to take his afternoon nap, but after some prodding, and a good dose of his sleeping song, mum’s little plan seemed to have worked! ? Catching up on #fmsphotoaday #fms_quiet #mumwrites #lifewithafirstgrader #jaredslittlecorner

A photo posted by Vix Parungao (@mumwrites) on Jul 1, 2016 at 12:13am PDT

Too Much Mental Stimulation

Conventional wisdom tells us that we should avoid looking at screens, either on the computer, phone or television, immediately before bedtime. You should apply the same rules to your child and encourage them to get into a routine where they do something productive such as read a book before bed. Reading can help calm your child versus television and games which often causes our minds to race.

Not Enough Physical Stimulation

Exercise is a surefire way to help improve your child’s health; likewise, regular physical activity can ensure your child is worn out by the time bedtime rolls around. Try to avoid allowing your child to get too riled up before bed, and instead opt for some quiet time instead.

Too Many Naps

Also, try to avoid allowing your child to excessively nap during the day. While this may represent a much needed break for you, in many cases naps can have a negative impact on your child’s ability to fall asleep during the night.

Finding the root of your child’s sleeping problems takes some investigative work on your part. That being said, the sooner you discover what’s keeping them up at night, the sooner you can take steps to eliminate the problem once and for all.

Mum’s Two Cents

Putting the little ones to bed can be rather tricky. I experienced falling asleep myself while waiting for my little one to go to zzzz land when he was still little. Considering the things mentioned above, you might just be getting less episodes and stress when putting your child to sleep at night. Sweet dreams!