Ever thought about bedtime rituals for your own baby or toddler? An exciting day at kindergarten, a fight with their best friend or anticipation of the birthday party the next day – many things haunt children’s minds in the evening, when it’s actually bedtime. So it’s not always easy for them to fall asleep. One in five preschoolers suffers from sleep problems, lying awake for a long time before falling asleep or waking up again and again during the night. Experts advise putting children to bed with a bedtime ritual such as a goodnight song, talking about the past day together again in the evening and setting clear bedtimes.
Sleep rituals for a baby
Babies sleep through two-thirds of the day. However, they wake up every three to four hours, usually because they are hungry. In the second year of life, children sleep about 13 hours, while six-year-olds still need about 10.5 hours of sleep. “However, sleep patterns can vary greatly from child to child,” says psychologist York Scheller. “Not every baby easily finds a regular sleep pattern. They have to learn to sleep as much as they have to learn to sit up or crawl.”
Sleep rituals for toddlers
Toddlers suffer more from problems falling asleep during the third to fourth year of life. At this age, they become more aware of their independent personalities, and being separated from parents in the evening often triggers anxiety. It can help to leave the light on in the hallway and the door to the child’s room ajar. A cuddly toy in the arm, the favorite bedding and soft talking of the parents from the next room also convey familiarity.
Rituals help to calm down
Good-night stories as a bedtime ritual and clear bedtime routines give children a sense of security and help them settle down in the evening. Here are a few good examples to end the day quietly:
- This already includes eating together with the whole family – preferably always at about the same time.
- Also, the evening routine of changing clothes, washing and brushing teeth should have their fixed order.
- So that children have their heads clear for the night, it helps them to talk together again in the evening about the past day.
- The most beautiful moment of the day – and at the same time the best sleep aid: snuggled up with father or mother before falling asleep still read or tell a bedtime story. Such a ritual gives children a sense of security and helps them settle down in the evening. Suitable is everything that is quiet and makes the offspring as much fun as his parents.
That children as well as adults at night again and again briefly wake up, turn from one side to the other, is normal. Usually fall asleep again immediately, without remembering the sleep interruptions the next morning.
Nightmares
However, especially between the ages of three and five, many boys and girls are awakened at night by nightmares. Scary dreams can also result when a child feels overwhelmed or suffers from conflict. This is because in dreams they process what they experience during the day. Even everyday situations such as an angry yapping dog or an argument with their big brother can unsettle children. At night, witches, monsters or dangerous animals chase the little ones, and they scream out of their sleep.
It is not until the end of kindergarten that children learn that dreams are not real. “The best way to help little ones is for their parents to calm them down at night. The next morning, they should then talk to their offspring again about the dream and help them to place what they have dreamed into the context of everyday life,” advises York Scheller.
