Sleep Training Baby: How To Train My Child To Sleep Alone

Sleep training baby; Sleep is an important function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert. Sleep also keeps the body healthy and wades off disease. Without adequate sleep, the brain cannot function properly. Inadequate sleep can affect your abilities to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories.

Most adults require sleep between seven to nine hours, and children need more rest if they are younger than five.

Why do we sleep

An informal body check regulates the sleep cycle. This controls when you feel tired and ready for bed or when you are refreshed and alert. This body clock is known as the CARDIAC RHYTHM and operates on a 24-hour cycle.

After waking up in the morning, the body becomes increasingly tired throughout the day.

STAGES OF SLEEP

The sleep cycle is divided into four (4) stages. The first three stages are known as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and the final stage is known as the rapid eye movement (REM) stage.

• Stage I NREM: The first stage is the transition between wakefulness and sleep; it is made up of light sleep. Muscles relax while heart rate, breathing, and eye movement slow down. Your brain waves which are very active when awake, also begin to slow down. The stage usually lasts several minutes.
• Stage II NREM: In this stage, a deeper sleep state is realized as the heart rate, and breathing rate slows further, and the muscles are more relaxed. Eye movement ceases, and body temperature decreases. Brain waves remain slow apart from brief moments of higher frequency electrical activity. This is the longest stage in all.
• Stage III NREM: This is the stage that makes you feel refreshed and alert for the next day. Heartbeat, breathing, and brain wave activity all reach their lowest levels. The stage is longer and decreases in duration throughout the night.
• REM: This stage usually occurs about 90 minutes after you fall asleep. Your eyes will move back and forth rather quickly under your eyelids at that stage.

Breathing rate, heart rate, and blood pressure will increase.

These four (4) stages will repeat cyclically throughout the night until you wake up.

HOW MUCH SLEEP DO CHILDREN NEED?

The amount of sleep children need varies with their ages. The recommended amount of sleep per day for newborns aged 0-3 months is 14-17 hours. The recommended amount of sleep for infants between 4-11 months is 12-15 hours. The recommended amount of sleep for toddlers between 1-2 years is 11-14 hours. Preschoolers should get around 10-13 hours of sleep. The recommended amount of sleep per day for children around 6-13 years is 9-11 hours.

IMPORTANCE OF GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP

Sleep is essential as sleep deprivation can cause a fatal issue. Insufficient sleep can lead to attention lapses, reduced recognition, delayed reactions, and mood swings.

People can develop a sort of tolerance for chronic sleep deprivation. Even though their brains and bodies struggle due to lack of sleep, they may not be aware of their deficiencies because less sleep feels normal. They have linked a lack of sleep to a higher risk of certain diseases and medical conditions. These include obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, poor mental health, and early death.

When To Start Sleep Training Baby

When to start sleep training baby; There is no way to determine exactly when your child should start sleeping independently. Some children start as early as three years, while some take a while, even up to 6-7 years. A few questions to ask when considering timing are:

• Is everyone getting enough sleep?
• Is there any detriment to your child’s self-esteem sleeping without you?
• Is your child showing signs of wanting an independent sleeping arrangement?
• Is it straining the marital relationship?

IS EVERYONE GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP

We all know that sleep is very crucial in maintaining good health. Also, sleeping with other people can be disruptive. Children can go through stages of dysregulated sleep that keep others awake. If your child is tossing, turning, crying, or bumping you awake, you may need to assess your priorities to get enough sleep if your bed is too crowded. An extended disrupted sleep pattern should be addressed as this might be time for your child to move to their bed.

IS YOUR CHILD UNCOMFORTABLE WITH SLEEPING WITH YOU?

When the child’s friends know they are still sleeping with their parents in school, they may ridicule them, affecting their self-esteem. In addition, this situation can lead them to demand more independence.

• Children can communicate subtly and seek independence by hinting that some other children have their room. They may also say that the bed is too crowded, the room too hot, etc.
• Children can put a strain on intimacy with their presence in the bedroom, and physical closeness in marriage is a priority, even if it means children in their room.

BENEFITS OF CHILDREN SLEEPING ALONE

Although moving a child out of bed can be challenging, many benefits are associated with children having their bedroom. They include; 

• Everyone gets more sleep: Both children and parents get more sleep when sleeping separately.
• It teaches independence: As a child grows, it is good if the child learns to do things independently. Learning to sleep on oneself is proof of it.
• Increase their bonding activities: Since too much closeness can strain other bonding activities like playing games, sleeping separately is an excellent way to help.
• It allows for good modelling of adult relationships: Whenever children see how adult-human relationships are formed from afar without too much closeness, this models them to have such healthy relationships. Sleeping separately help fasten that.

TIPS FOR HELPING YOUR CHILD MOVE TO THEIR BEDROOM

• Decide to do it:

Do not wait long before you help your child move to their bedroom. They should give you points on how to go about it with these points.