59. The Sleep Episode (First of Many)

One topic which has been showing up frequently in the messages I’m getting from parents is a big one: sleep. In particular, I have about 5 clients who are asking about naps these days, so today we’re going to revisit this highly important subject, and provide information and advice that should answer a lot of your questions.

We’ll begin by looking at the typical ages when children start giving up their naps, and the importance of maintaining a quiet time for all children. I’ll offer some valuable tips surrounding these quiet times, some advice about establishing sleep time habits, and a recommendation for finding help if you are suffering in this area. The main theme here today is that sleep is vital to both your children and yourself, and finding a system that works for you and your entire family needs to be a priority. This week’s episode is filled with the information and advice that will help you do this.

The Finer Details of This Episode:

• From ages 2½ to 4 it can look like your child is giving up their nap, and at ages 4 to 4½ they are
• For all kids, keep the quiet time, and under certain circumstances, it can be a reasonable solution to lock your child in their room for this time
• For every child up until about the age of 13, the time from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm is their ‘witching hour’ – make that their quiet time
• When your child is giving up their nap, you have to go to an earlier bedtime (even as early as 5:00 pm)
• Kids have lost some social skills during the quarantine, so start by planning very short meetups for them with other children
• Listening to stories (ex. Audible books) is a great idea for quiet time in their rooms
• Don’t establish nap time in the stroller or in the car
• Be very careful with establishing sleep time habits so that they work for every member of the family
• If you are suffering, find a sleep trainer who resonates with you
• Really, really, really attend to your own sleep
• Potty training may disrupt your child’s sleep

Quotes:

“My son napped right up until his first day of Kindergarten.”

“You cannot make your child sleep, nor can you actually make your child stay in bed.”

“Sleep is everything, you guys…we all need it so much.”

“I know sleep training is super controversial.”

“Sleep deprivation is used as torture in war.”

“There’s nothing better you can do for yourself than sleep, so really set a good bedtime, and commit to being off screen.”

Links:

Jamie’s homepage - http://www.jamieglowacki.com/ 

Oh Crap! Potty Training - https://www.amazon.com/Crap-Potty-Training-Everything-Parenting-ebook/dp/B00V3L8YSU

Oh Crap! I Have A Toddler - 

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Oh-Crap!-I-Have-a-Toddler/Jamie-Glowacki/Oh-Crap-Parenting/9781982109738

Jamie’s Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/join/jamieglowacki?