Who Is Tired Of Big Kid Sleep Problems?

Most parents have encountered big kid sleep problems at one point or another in their children's growing up phase. There's the "I need to pee," "I want to snuggle," "read me one more story," and a bunch of other excuses to avoid sleep. Threats and force never accomplished anything. As evenings get later and later, parents run out of ways to get rid of their big kid sleep problems.

A lot of parents feel "imprisoned" by their big kid sleep problems. While advice is plentiful for putting down toddlers and infants to bed, there's very little help if you're parents of older children. Lots of parents struggle with similar sleep problems, which range from bedtime resistance to night waking to sleep anxieties.

Coping With Big Kid Sleep Problems

Often, big kid sleep problems are linked with hyperactivity, poor school performance, daytime irritability or crankiness and depression.

Here are a number of things you can do to address big kid sleep problems.

• Solving big kid sleep problems demands consistency. Issue an announcement during the day informing the kids that you're implementing a new routine. Something like after brushing their teeth and donning their pajamas, you'll read one book chapter together and then it's lights-out.
• Another big kid sleep problems strategy would be to use the pass system. Once you've tucked them in, give them bedtime passes that are exchangeable for just one excused leaving of the room after bedtime. Kids saving the precious passes might fall asleep waiting to utilize them.
• Some children occasionally wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble going back to sleep. Suggest ways your kids can soothe themselves to sleep like thinking pleasant thoughts and hugging stuffed toys.
• Growing kids have a lot on their minds and can be real hyped up come bedtime. Limit the time they spend on rough play, video games, adventure books, suspense TV a few hours before bedtime.
• For the stay-with-me sleepers kind of big kid sleep problems, solve this problem by "weaning" the kids from your presence in the room. Helping them build new sleep associations to replace you – like mom's t-shirt or a stuffed animal also helps.

Don't get discouraged if your big kid sleep problems don't disappear immediately. For most kids, the skill of sleeping alone needs to be learned and the process can take days or weeks of consistent application. Remember - parents who give in to any compromises and allow their kids to camp out in a sleeping bag or chair next to their beds have no hope of ever solving their big kid sleep problems.