When your child was a newborn, you may remember that you were up more often than you were asleep. At that time, you probably mastered doing most things in a “half-asleep” state and desperately waiting for some form of relief. Luckily for you, at this age you are getting one step closer to getting that sleep that you have been looking for. As your child nears 12 months old, they will sleep more and have an easier time staying asleep. By following some steps, you can help your child have a better sleep.
At this age, your child will need at least 14 hours of sleep per day. As your child gets closer to one years of age, they will sleep for a longer time at night. Out of these 14 hours of sleep, at nighttime you can expect that your child will sleep between 11 and 12 hours. They will also typically only have 2 naps during the day, if they even nap at all. These naps may only last about 1 to 2 hours each nap, with the morning nap usually being a shorter time.
If they are not sleeping through the night, they are probably ready for sleep training. If they are sleeping for long spans at night, your child has probably figured out how to comfort themselves back to sleep. If they have not, you need to figure out the problem. They could be wet or thirsty. They may have also had a nightmare. If there is no reason for them to wake up, they may need to start sleep training if they have not started yet.
Sleep training is important to help your child learn to sleep on their own. This will help your child go to sleep on their own or to stay asleep longer. This will help you to get more sleep as well. There are some different steps to doing this. The first thing that you need to do is to get your child used to a routine. This routine should stick to a schedule, though this schedule does not have to be at the same exact time every day. You can start off by taking a bath, then getting into pajamas. After this, you can read your child a story while they are in the crib. If this is done every day, your child will get used to a routine and they will understand that by story time, they need to get into their crib. If your child wakes up, you should make sure that all of their needs are met. You may find that they are wet or maybe they need a bottle. If all of the needs are met, you can let them cry it out for a few minutes. You will need to make sure that they fall asleep independently; otherwise they will not learn how to comfort themselves back to bed. It is important that you are consistent with this.
Teaching your child good sleeping habits is the best thing for parents and children. The sooner this is started the better but even if there is no routine by 9 to 12 months it is not too late to instigate one. By doing this you will help your child to develop better sleep habits benefiting them and all the family.
You may also like
