The 5 Things That Influence

Healthy, Independent Sleep A ids

www.snottynoses.com.au

- At Any Age

Hey, thanks for joining our community!

Science, sleep consultants and common sense

tells us that healthy, restful sleep is the

cornerstone of a happy child, a happy family

and a happy life. We acknowledge that there

is no right and wrong thing when it comes to

sleep –

it’s a question of what you think is best

for your child and family. This is a decision

only you can make, and you don’t have to

conform to one view or the other. A sleep

problem is only a ‘problem’, if it’s a problem

for you!

So…The 5 Things That Influence Healthy, Restful, Independent Sleep – at any age:

Tip #1 –

To get started, let’s define Dependent and Independent Sleep Aids Because they are really different – it’s not to say one is

good and the other is bad – but they can produce very

different long term sleep patterns for your little one, from

birth through to puberty. A dependent sleep aid is

anything that your child learns to rely on to fall asleep

that could later fall out, switch off or in any other way

change after he has fallen asleep, for example a dummy,

rocking device, musical mobile, I-Pad, or feeding/rocking

to sleep. By contrast, an independent sleep aid will

remain consistent for the duration of the sleep session

(whether day or night), and does not rely on a person to

keep it going. An independent sleep aid as part of a

consistent routine can be a way to calmly and lovingly

give your child the gift of sleep, once all their other

primary needs of feeding, bathing/changing, and

nurturing have been met. To this end, it is recommended

to follow a consistent routine and put your baby or child

to bed drowsy/tired but still awake.

Tip #2

Keep the Light Low

Early on, babies start to learn the difference between day and night, as a natural rhythm of

healthy sleep develops. Whilst sleep consultants agree you don’t need to “board up the nursery with

military style precision and darkness”, it is still a good idea to close the curtains or shades for day

sleeps, just to soften the light. Then at night, a gentle glow night light is recommended so if

your baby, toddler or older child wakes from a sleep cycle they feel secure, safe and familiar to

drift back to sleep as they are not in complete darkness – plus it also makes it easy for you to check on them at night, without the need for a

bright, disruptive light being turned on.

Tip #3 –

Keep the noise on Do we mean a rock band playing as they sleep? No, but sleep consultants worldwide acknowledge that babies and children sleep better with a magic little thing often called ‘white noise’. You’ve probably heard your great aunt’s story about how her babies slept straight through while the vacuum cleaner was in the room – there’s science behind that story. For babies, they have just come from a womb that is noisy – heartbeats, blood pumping, fluid swishing and even the sounds of the outside world like music and voices. They are so used to this hum, that it makes

sense to replicate that from the day they are born! Fast forward to toddler years, and the last thing any parent wants is a sleeping child awoken by a noisy neighbour, an early morning garbage truck, or birds that chirp at dawn. ‘White noise’ can be in the

form

of any low frequency, consistent hum (think rainfall, ocean,

wind whistling, oscillating fan) and can have a huge impact on

positive

sleep behaviours.

PS – Plenty of adults use 'white noise and love it too !

Tip #4

Keep a Tactile Comforter/Cuddle Toy in Hand

As a newborn this may begin as a safe swaddle (the Love

To Dream Swaddle Up is recommended by many sleep consultants, as the arms are in a natural ‘up’ position, yet still controlled to prevent ‘startle and wake ’ reflexes).

As babies initially learn so much through oral sensory techniques, many babies start to suck or ‘mouth’

these swaddles and can find it very soothing and familiar as they drift off for each sleep session, both day

and night. In the older baby/toddler stage, your little one has gained control of hand and finger reflexes, so it is safe

and appropriate to transition them to a ‘blanky’ or comforter. The power of this independent sleep aid often

lies in the smell of the comforter, and the way your child associates that with sleep. Many older children who have

learnt to settle to sleep with a comforter will often say “Mum, don’t wash it, I love the smell of it, just like it is!!”

But you will know when ‘blanky’ needs a swim in the washing machine – remember this is particularly important

if your child is recovering from a cold or infection!

Tip #5 –

Keep the Air Humidified Just as it’s important not to have your baby or child too hot or too cold for sleep, the air quality can affect sleep patterns. More research is emerging about the correlation between humidified air and positive sleep behaviours for the whole family: babies, children and adults. The best type of humidifier will produce cool mist, as opposed to heated steam or condensation. Cool mist humidifiers often combine the benefits of humidified air with an ability to purify and ionise the air particles in the room, removing dust particles, allergens and airborne bacteria. Babies breathe primarily through their mouths, so a dry environment can cause early waking. Although cool mist humidifiers/vaporisers are recommended for everyday use, they can be even more beneficial in times of sickness, and they can have healing essential oils added to the cool water to promote wellbeing

and

calm, restful sleep patterns.

And a few extra points to consider … Will

my

child

become

addicted

to

an

independent

sleep

aid ?

Will

my

baby

or

child

still

be

using

white

noise

when

they

are

21 ?

Will

it

mean

they

can't

sleep

if

we're

at

Grandma's

house

and

forget

to

bring

the

night

light?

Experts

agree

it

is

highly

unlikely.

Why ?

Because

the

benefit

of

using

independent

sleep

aids,

is

that it

gives

your

child

the

gift

of

self- settling

and

‘ learning ’

to

sleep .

And

remember,

let

it

go

when

the

little

one

is

sick …

Of

course

there

are

always

exceptions

to

sleep

time ,

wake

time ,

routines

and

using

independent

sleep

aids .

And

that's

when

your

baby

or

child

is

under

the

weather

from

teething ,

fevers ,

traveling ,

or

whatever

may

affect

them from

a

' normal '

state .

Follow

your

instincts

and

take

this

extra

time

to

snuggle , cuddle, and keep

them

as

hydrated

as

much

as

possible .

And

finally… feel

free

to

ignore

everyone ’ s

advice .

Oh ,

the

well - meaning stories

and

tips and anecdotes from

friends ,

family

and

the

lady

at

the

café .

The

thing

is ,

their

baby

is

not

your

baby . Their 4 year

old is not your

4

year

old .

Only

you

know

what

makes

your

little

one

tick

– and

sometimes not even you will know

what's

going

on !

That's

ok .

Probably

best

to

get

ideas

from

2

or

3

close

family or friends who see the

world

in

similar

ways

to

you .

Advice

is

good ,

just

avoid

the

nasty

beast

of

comparison . So the next time

someone

says

to

you,

' My

baby

slept

through

the

night

at

three

weeks!' or “ I've never let my 3 year old

sleep

in

our

bed ”

just

smile ,

nod ,

and

keep

on

keepin '

on .

...becau

se

you're a good parent and a good person

— and

if

your

child

is

loved

and

safe ,

then

you're

going

down

a pretty good pathway …

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