It can be difficult to get your baby to sleep.
One might believe that a good routine will get them to the land where they are happy.
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One sleep expert said that this may not be true and suggested that parents might make one error when preparing their children for bed.
Lucy Wolfe, a psychologist and sleep guru, said that toddlers are particularly troubled by getting to sleep.
She explained that toddlers develop a different way of seeing the world and can experience a change in their bedtime routine.
“From two plus, toddlers are met with huge transitions.
“They are dropping naps, moving away from dummies and transitioning into a big bed – there are huge changes going on with sleep maturation.”
She said, however, that selling the routine is crucial and that it’s important to be clear about what each night will include.
“Bath time isn’t always a relaxing experience, it can often be entertaining and not something we need to do every night, so we don’t need to commit it to the routine,”She spoke.
The guru said that when we look at bedtime routines we should try to create a bedtime zone.
“A bedtime zone is where we create familiarity and a good environment for a sleep experience in the bedroom,”She spoke.
Lucy, currently working on a podcast for family members MotherkindDoll brand Baby Annabell added that how well our babies and toddlers sleep has a huge impact on parents’ wellbeing.
This can have a big impact on everyone’s moods the next day, especially if they have had poor or broken sleep.
Expert said that playtime with a favorite doll or toy is part of the bedtime zone. This can stimulate the bedtime process.
Lucy’s advice comes after doctors warned that older children who sleep less than nine hours per night could have problems with their brains.
The NHS states that most two-year-olds will sleep for 11 to 12 hours at night, with 1 or 2 naps in the daytime.
Children aged 3-5 years should get 11-13 hours sleep a night, with 5-9 year-olds needing 10-11 hours.
For children aged 10-14, kip will be required between 9 and 9.75 hrs.
Experts at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) said those not getting enough sleep were likely to experience issues such as anxiety, impulsive behaviours and depression.
People who don’t snooze often have cognitive problems with memory, problem solving, and decision making.
Prof Wang stated: “We found that children with insufficient sleep at night (less than nine hours) had less grey matter and less volume in the brains of those responsible for attention memory and inhibition control. This was in contrast to healthy sleep habits.
“These differences persisted after two years, a concerning finding that suggests long term harm for those who do not get enough sleep.”
