Depending on what sleep has always looked like for a young baby or child, they may have become dependent on sleeping with the parent, a pacifier, a bottle, feeding to sleep etc. The first step when working on any sleep changes is assessing the child and asking specific questions about them in relation to sleep.
All of these answers will vary for each child, their age, and their routines. But once you understand the answers to these questions, you can begin weaning processes from items like pacifiers and bottles or other sleep dependencies. You can find the sleep assessment in the chapter on sleep, Chapter 11 of the Turn Autism Around book. Additionally, we discuss Taking Cara Babies, an Instagram resource with helpful guides for fixing sleep issues from a Pediatric Nurse.
You’ve gotten your child to bed, but the middle of the night comes and they are knocking on your door, crying out from their room, or in my case with Lucas they are jumping in your bed. It can be easy to let your child get in bed with you during night wakings, especially when you need to get sleep too. I share about Lucas’s sleeping issues from 1-10 where we played musical beds nearly every night. I was able to stop that in three nights with a consistent and firm plan. The bottom line is nighttime is time for bed, in their bed. As long as you have a safe environment in the home and a plan with what works for your child and your family, do not let them into your room or into the bed. Remind the child it’s bedtime and guide them back to their room over and over again. With positive reinforcement (a reward in the morning for staying in their bed or going back to bed) and a constituent approach, the hard and frustrating transition will end.
If your child finds themselves waking up early before 6am or a time you consider a reasonable morning wake up, teach them to stay in their room or what safe quiet activities they can do instead. For some children, an alarm clock with a color changing light of green or red may help let them know when to stay in bed and when to get up. You may consider a safe activity box for the child to play with in their room in early mornings. For older, more independent children, you might consider teaching them morning self-care skills such as getting ready, and making a bowl of cereal and watching TV. This change is about deciding what your boundary is and what you’re comfortable with your child doing to meet that boundary.
Kelsey and I brought these big questions on sleep from commonly asked questions in our online community. Many times sleep issues can be linked to medical issues or deficiencies, so if problems persist, be sure to get a medical consultation or up-to-date blood work. All of the advice shared is for informational purposes only, as all families have differing personal and cultural beliefs regarding sleep.
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