A good night’s sleep is the Holy Grail for parents. Learn how to get your kid’s sleep back on track after a few rough nights!
The first few weeks after Owen was born, everyone’s sleep suffered. While I had totally expected to be living on the no sleep train for a while, I hadn’t really taken into account how having a baby could mess up his sleep as well. Since Owen was born at night and then had a bit of an extended hospital stay due to jaundice, there were quite a few nights out way past his bedtime due to coming to visit me, and all of his naps were taken in the car for over a week.
Once we all were home and things started to settle down, Ryan’s sleep schedule was still way off. He wouldn’t wake up until after 9, and then whine in his crib when I put him down for a nap, not falling asleep until sometime over an hour later. This, of course, meant a later wake-up time and an even later bedtime, which made everything repeat itself. While normally, a late wake-up is a welcome thing, the crazy sleep schedule made for a very cranky boy, which to me was so not even worth it. So I knew we had to do something and to do it fast.
Instead of going into a straight panic, I took a few steps to get my kid’s sleep back on track. I’ve had to use these steps a few times now (hey, life gets crazy with 2!) and each time they have worked like a charm in just a day or two. I hope that they work just as well for you and your family
How to Get Your Kid’s Sleep Back on Track
1. Skip a nap. This may seem counterintuitive, but if you keep one tip from this, I hope it’s this one! If one of your sleep issues is a delayed nap/wake up, try skipping a nap. While the last few hours of the day may be super frustrating and tough for you both, he will be tired by the time bedtime rolls around, meaning he’ll fall asleep easily. At that point, he’ll get his normal amount of sleep and hopefully wake up at his normal awake time! (This is the number one fix for Ryan – since he only takes one nap at 2, I just skip it and put him to bed at his normal time of 7:30 – or earlier if he seems extra cranky.)
2. Enforce wake ups. Another issue that causes messed up sleep schedules is sleeping too late – either in the morning or after naps. Choose a time that is the absolute latest your kiddo can sleep to ensure that he will get tired by enough to sleep easy at nap or bedtime and stick to it. Yes, the old saying is to never wake a sleeping baby, but sometimes it’s necessary for everyone’s sanity (our late times at 8AM and 4:30 PM for naps) in order to get your kid’s sleep back on track.
3. Stick to a schedule. Predictability is a toddler’s best friend, so if they know that there is a finite order of dinner, play, bath, jammies, book, bed, they will be more likely to start settling down on their own instead of running around like a psychopath. Even if you’re not a “schedule” family (we really aren’t, and when Ryan was under 18 months there was definitely not even a semblance of one in our house) try to make some vaguely set times for naps and bedtime that you as the parent are aware of.
4. Bedtime is bedtime. This is a big one for us since Ryan is not the kind of kid that will just get tired. I hear of these unicorn children who get tired and lay on the couch and fall asleep, but that is just not Ryan. He will go and go and go non-stop until we force him to go to bed. So for us, he HAS to be in his crib at 7:30, 8 at the very latest. Even if he doesn’t fall right asleep and just chats with himself, he needs to be IN his bed, bored and ready for sleep.
5. Be flexible. With all of this in mind, I think it’s important to remember to be flexible. There will be times and days when staying up a little later is fine – for us, on Saturdays when Alex goes into work before Ryan wakes up and comes home later, I let the boys stay up a little later to hang out. Or if we’re out with friends or family and he’s having a great time, I’m more flexible with a nap or sleep. There will always be time for sleep schedules and well-rested nights, but there won’t always be times for them to be fun and little.
So tell me – do your kids have a sleep schedule? Do they ever need help getting back on track? What are your favorite tips for getting your kids sleep back on track? Let me know in the comments!
If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy these!
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Heather @Lunging Through Life says
Great points! Annabelle doesn’t sleep in (Ever haha) and lets us know when it’s bedtime but sometimes that is too late, too. I definitely don’t have the child that will sleep wherever and whenever. Falling asleep on the couch? Fat chance. It just doesn’t happen! We have a routine and stick to it. Naps are still somewhat unpredictable. I always thought I’d have the kid that would have naps set at specific times but man it’s harder than you’d think!
Morgan says
I hear about the magical children all the time and I’m just like.. really?!?! Annabelle sounds SO much like Ryan – he was the WORST napper and seriously never tires- he just keeps going. Hopefully it’s a bit of a comfort to you to know that eventually naps got pretty easy around 14 months maybe? Now I put him down every day at exactly 2 and it’s pretty rare that I have to go back in there before he falls asleep.
the frenchie mummy says
I did struggle sometimes with my son to fall asleep. Fingers crossed, he is better now even if he makes the weirdest noises ever and moves so much. I don’t know how he manages to stay asleep really… #happynowlinkup
Morgan says
ha, my youngest is like that! he’s always squeaking grunting – keeps me up all night. In fact, he makes so much noise that when he doesn’t, I have to go check on him. My oldest, though, he sleeps like a log.
Kristy from Southern In Law says
These are such great tips! Sleep is SO important – but even moreso for little ones!
Morgan says
Pshhh who cares about the kid’s sleep – I’m more concerned about them sleeping so I can sleep!! 😉 hahah
Krystal @ Little Light on a Hill says
These are great tips, Morgan. I am beyond the sleepless nights with my littles and I would recommend every single one of these tips to new moms! We have recently gone through some very hard things as a family. Now that we are coming out of that season, we are trying to break our youngest’s habit of always sneaking into my oldest’s bed at night. I’m sure some of these tips will help with that as well. Thanks for sharing!
Morgan says
So glad things are starting to calm down for your family! Sleep habits are definitely the first to go during tough times, hopefully you all can get back to normal ASAP!
Anne Marie says
We never had too many problems when the kids were little, but now that they are in elementary school my oldest is pushing back. He just doesn’t seem to need as much sleep as the other kids and he ends up keeping them up later/waking them up earlier.
We have been pretty lax this summer with the bedtimes, but come the start of August I am going to have to be a stickler for lights out so that there aren’t behavior problems at school.
Morgan says
Ugh, I try not to think about how stubborn my oldest is going to be when he’s older at bedtime! (I just spent 45 minutes convincing him that yes, a 2 year old needs a nap, ha!)
Michelle says
This article is a reminder that I need to be stricter on the summer schedule! Also, forwarding to my sister who has a 5 mo old! Thanks!?
Michelle
Morgan says
The perk of kids not in school yet is being able to maintain the sleep schedule year round – definitely nervous for when that time home, eek!! Thanks for visiting and sharing, Michelle!!
Leslie says
Our kids were definitely the kind that couldn’t get back on track by skipping naps at that age. They fell more into the ‘sleep begets sleep’ pattern. Even the littlest one now will take naps from 5 to 6:30 or so and still go to bed at 8. Though, I definitely agree that keeping a regular (ish) bedtime helps a lot.
Morgan says
My guy is sometimes like that, but more often than not he’s just constantly going regardless of sleep/no sleep until I force him to bed. And if he wake up late from a nap… good luck, ha!