Another holiday season is upon us! Soon your house will be filled with guests and family or you will be off socializing and partaking in the festive events. As a savvy sleep expert, I wanted to share the following sleep and schedule tips with parents to help make the holidays pleasant and stress free:
- Try not to overschedule your social calendar with family events or pressure to visit everyone who asks. If you attempt to please everyone it could lead to missed naps, irregular bedtimes and a potential meltdown from your overtired child.
- Keep your nap and bedtime schedules regular. This doesn’t mean that the occasional nap in the car seat is absolutely out of the question, but it should be a rarity. Make sure your child is in bed within 30 minutes of their usual bedtime.
- You may feel like the “bad guy” for putting your little one down at 7:00 just as the guests are arriving, or saying no to insistent relatives who want to wake baby from a nap for playtime, but remember: you are the boss. You know how important your child’s sleep is, and it’s your job to protect it.
- When people see how pleasant and social your child is when he or she is awake, they will soon come to realize that a well-rested child is a happy child. Remind your loved ones that the quality of time spent with the child is more important than quantity.
Keep a routine, enjoy and Happy Holidays!