Are you the proud parent of a 3-6+ year old child who struggles with an aspect of their sleep? Perhaps you have to stay with them, or maybe bedtime routinely takes 3 hours. They might wake in the night, or become upset when you leave the room. Whatever it is, you’ve probably found that most sleep support is tailored to younger children, and tools that might work for a baby or young toddler don’t work so well (or at all) for a 4 year old.
The guide is likely to be useful for slightly older children as well – I have used most of these techniques in children up to the age of 10.
In this highly comprehensive guide, I discuss why sleep is different for older children. I’ll tackle many of the common reasons for sleep drama, and offer an abundance of age-appropriate, creative and gentle tools.
Don’t worry, as you would expect from me, there are no non-responsive strategies, no stair gates across bedrooms, no reward charts, and I’m not just going to suggest that you try a bedtime routine and a black-out blind! This is a collection of my favourite attachment-building tools gathered over the years, many of which are of my own creation.
In this guide, I will be covering:
- How preschoolers and older children’s sleep is different
- How to use the knowledge of your child’s body clock to optimize sleep naturally
- Naps, bedtime and the sleep environment
- Sleep red flags
- Connection, love languages, repairing arguments and building trust
- Helping anxious, or sensitive children
- Boosting confidence and self esteem
- Sleep dramas in the 3-4 age group
- Sleep dramas in the 5-6 age group
- Information about potty learning, sensory needs, adjusting to school and limit setting
- How to help children with falling asleep, staying asleep and sleeping where you want them to sleep
So, if you’re ready to stop battling and start connecting over bedtime, say goodnight without stress and frustration, and deepen the bond you have with your child, this is just what you need.