Becoming a parent, whether it is for the first time or welcoming a new addition into the family, is amongst the greatest experience for any man or woman to go through in their lifetime. Bringing a new life into the world and raising a child through childhood and the teenage years is a thoroughly rewarding experience that provides love, warmth and plenty of heartfelt smiles. Making the decision to be a parent should come upon the solid foundations of financial security and a mutual agreement that both mother and father play their part in providing the best level of care and wellbeing possible, where humanly possible, to ensure a child is raised in a living home. While parents naturally bond with their children, it can often lead to falling into bad habits which are potentially detrimental to a child’s physical and mental abilities in later life. This is particularly the case with sleep routines which go much further than providing a child with a comfortable bed, with the latest offers for children’s beds offering a solution to one half of the problem.
Bad habits
Mothers can be forgiven for doing what they think is best for their child as their chosen methods of practice come with the belief that it provides a quality of life they deserve. Getting into a healthy daily routine of putting a child to bed is essential within their overall progression and growth, but mums can fall into potential pitfalls that are counterproductive in putting children to bed and enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Although night-time nursing, rocking routines and bedtimes bottles are effective methods of preparing a baby for sleep, failing to progressively reduce the routine can leave a child dependent on something they relate to as an everyday occurrence. This can result in many sleepless nights as a child does not develop the ability to soothe itself to sleep – a problem that is also caused by parents, particularly mothers, who sleep in the same bed as their child. Numerous health groups advise against this, particularly those with a baby as co-sleeping carries the dangers of suffocation from pillows, the bed sheet or rolling onto the baby whilst you sleep. Regular co-sleeping can also create an unhealthy habit further down the line, with parents often finding it difficult to break their child away from sleeping in the same bed.
Setting a rigid timescale on when a child should go to their bed is important to ensuring they get a sufficient number of hours asleep every night to avoid feeling lethargic, cranky and any bad habits.
Common problems
Bad habits can often lead to children not only receiving the number of hours sleep they require to recharge their batteries, but also lead to many sleepless nights as they toss and turn in their bed. Children who are under the influence of bad sleeping habits are often known to sleepwalk as their cognitive functions are unable to recognise through tiredness and potential stress that they are actually walking and not dreaming. This can be a horrible experience for any parent as sleepwalking is completely uncontrollable and can lead to a child wandering out of their bed and anywhere in the house or, even worse, outdoors. The same mental strain can also lead to nightmares, as a lack of sleep or poor routines are known to aggravate peaceful sleep and lead to scary dreams that leave a child scared and in tears.
Sleeping position
(baby – graphic taken from following reference: Stansfield, L. (No Year) “Awkward sleeping positions: Children and babies who will nap ANYWHERE!”, http://www.parentdish.co.uk/kids/awkward-sleeping-positions-children-and-babies-who-will-nap-any/#!slide=aol_1005103)
Babies and children have the unique quality of being able to sleep in essentially any position they stand or lay in which can be lovely and adorable to see. Although it is often encouraged not to disturb children while they peacefully sleep, the awkward and often amusing positions they drop off in at any time of the day should be monitored as they could place considerable pressure upon certain joints or organs. Babies should be laid on their backs during nap and bedtime, while children often prefer the fetal and log positions as it provides the highest level of comfort and relaxation to their body and mind.
