Bed Time Capers                                                                 

Many parents struggle with bed time and even refer to it as “the witching hour”!  Children call out for a drink of water, want yet another story, and demand more food. Parents feel frustrated and exhausted!  

All are delaying tactics to stave off the inevitable……..time for sleep!  Parents need respite from children to re-charge their batteries and all children need their sleep.  Most young children need to be in bed and asleep by 7.30pm; however young children who still have a day time sleep may still be up after this time and should be encouraged to play quietly while other siblings are trying to go to sleep.  
 
It is really immmportant to establish a bed time routine.  Once this is established children will feel safe and calm as they know what to expect and evenings will flow smoothly.  Try to be consistent as children are less likely to push boundaries and test limits if they know what to expect.   

Children resist sleep for many reasons:- 

• They may want more time with Mum & Dad.
• They may be over stimulated or excited from playing. 
• They may have eaten sugar… ice cream, sweet biscuits or lollies.
•  They may be overstimulated from watching T.V or a DVD.
• They may feel genuinely scared or frightened to be in their room 

However there are many things you can do to assist your child to settle to sleep happily.   Children can be over stimulated by watching T.V. or DVDS in the afternoon and evening. Television can over-stimulate children and anything with adult themes should be avoided.  In particular do not allow young children to watch the news.  By eliminating television viewing from the afternoon and evening children will be more relaxed, calm & settled.  

By ensuring children have low GI lunch and afternoon tea they will be have more available energy to eat dinner, listen and be co-operative. Sugar laden foods such as cordial and ice cream can cause children to be “hyped” and have difficulty settling to sleep.  Fear of monsters or the dark can also play havoc.  

If your routine in the early evening is not working then change it!  You may need to bring everything forward by 15 – 30 minutes. You may simply need to plan bath before dinner.  By slightly re-vamping the routine you may have more co-operative children.

 Tips for calm bedtime.

• Establish a routine and be consistent.
• Spend time playing child centred games with your child every day.
• Avoid rough & tumble play before bed time.
• Serve low GI food for afternoon tea & dinner.
• Avoid watching T.V. and videos in the afternoon and evening.
• Avoid high sugar foods including cordial and ice cream (substitute with unsweetened yogurt & fruit)
• Have a set number of stories each evening and stick to it.
• For children who feel scared try this one:-  Sit in the doorway without talking and read a book until your child drops off to sleep. Tell your child you will go away if they talk.  This reassures your child and helps them to relax & drop off to sleep. Takes only 5 minutes, instead of an hour of calling out!  This phase will pass.

 Suggested Bedtime Routine for 4-7 year olds

• 3.30                  Low GI Snack
• 5. 15 – 5.30    Low GI Dinner
• 3.30                  Low GI Snack
• 5. 15 – 5.30    Low GI Dinner
• 6.00                  Bath
• 6.45                  2 Stories
• 7.00                  Lights out

If children are resisting the bath it is OK. They do not have to have a bath every night.  However immersion in water can calm children. Sometimes bath before dinner is a good idea.

I appreciate that this advice will not work for all families. Many parents both work full time, returning home after 6.30pm most evenings.  Others are single parents or shift workers.  Whatever your situation or hours of work children will benefit from a routine.  So please contact me if you need assistance with establishing a routine that works for your family. 02 9939 3732

Should your sleeping issues continue aND you would like someone to come into your home to assist you with these issues I can reccommend Sally Hall from Cradle2Kindy. 

“Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions provides a personal parenting coach to help empower mothers with children from birth to five years old. The optimum start for any parent with ongoing help.  From breastfeeding and newborn care to settling techniques, routines and behavioural management we aim to bringing confidence to parenting.”

 www.cradle2kindy.com.au

Much is written about ADD & ADHD.  Parents can find many definitions of symptoms through the internet and many different ways of helping these children.  Sometimes all the information can be overwhelming and confusing. If you have a child who has been given this label or a child you who is “struggling” at home or at school there are some effective drug free answers.

 The team I have worked with for the past 15 years do not like labelling children.  At the end of the day label or no label you still have the same child with the same issues!!  We look at the whole child and have worked with hundreds of children successfully.  One 7-year-old client recently moved from level 3 to level 13 reading in a matter of a few months. His Mum reports he is now reported to be able to listen!

Our methods are relatively simple & cost-effective. We avoid having parents attending several different practitioners.   We look at your child holistically.  Once an in-depth history is taken detailing, pregnancy, birth, milestones, general health, accidents & traumas one or some of the following strategies may be recommended:-

Sarco cranial massage, allergy testing, food changes, physiological balance of the child, brain gym and behaviour management strategies and mentoring for effective parenting.

One of the best things you can do for your child is to provide fresh organic food free of colours, preservatives and additives. On the Northern Beaches I recommend and use always Organic

 “We all know the benefits of eating organic produce, but here at Always Organic we rate FRESHNESS of organic produce as the most important criteria when selecting our Certified organic vegetables and fruit!”  www.alwasyorganicnorthernbeaches.com

Please contact Janet 99393732 for assistance with your child

Some parents have found it helpful to arrange a Wine & Cheese evening in their home. This is done usually by gathering together 10 or more friends in the relaxing comfort of their home.   Providing some wine & cheese adds to the informal nature of the evening.  

I provide a 30 minute overview of my general parenting principles and explanation of the main causes of challenging behaviours.

This is followed by Q & A where parents have plenty of time to ask questions and for their issues to be explored and strategies suggested.

Talk to your Mothers Group, friends or work colleagues and determine if they would be interested. Charge is $ 23.00 per person for two hours.

Call Janet on 02 9939 3732 to arrange an evening at your house.

Hear what Sarah has to say about a recent workshop in her home:-

“Janet visited my home to speak to a group of 12 friends about the challenges we face every day with our children. I had heard Janet speak twice before to larger groups, but as a mum of two children, I organized this smaller session so we could focus primarily on children of 4-5 years and sibling issues.”

At each of Janet’s seminars, I have learned something new. I particularly like the way Janet asks questions to understand what drives the child’s behaviour in a certain situation before she offers advice. She is also careful to tailor her advice to the age of the child.

What have I learned? More than I could include in this short testimonial, but one simple change is to use positives rather than negatives: walk rather than don’t run; use normal voices rather than stop whining!”

Thanks Janet!

Sarah Thirlwell, full-time mum and part-time worker”.