Table of contents:
- Tricks so that children want to learn to sleep alone
- 1. Start slowly
- 2. Create a pleasant room atmosphere
- 3. Do not rush the child to sleep
- 4. Reduce sources of distraction
- 5. Overcoming fear
- 6. Stay firm and consistent
- 7. Set the right time to sleep
- 8. Appreciate the child's business
When your child is old enough to sleep in his own room, you will face new challenges. Most children who are accustomed to sleeping with their parents from infancy will have difficulty learning to sleep alone in separate rooms. You and your partner also have to struggle so that your child wants to sleep alone. Children who dare to sleep alone will become more independent and responsible. In addition, you and your partner can sleep better so that in the morning your family will wake up full of energy.
Keep in mind, this adjustment process is not easy and may take quite a long time for your child to get used to sleeping alone. So, you and your partner also have to prepare yourself with patience and a variety of tricks so that your child wants to sleep in separate rooms.
Tricks so that children want to learn to sleep alone
Usually a child who does not want to sleep alone in his room will create various reasons so that he can sleep with his parents. Therefore, you must be smart in outsmarting the reasons your child gives you. Try the following eight tricks so that children can quickly get used to sleeping on their own.
1. Start slowly
It is best if you prepare your child to learn to sleep on their own long before the time comes so that your child is not surprised. Try not to scare your child with scary stories or use the threat of sleeping alone as a weapon to discipline your child. You just have to work around it so that your child feels enthusiastic about his new room. Involve the child in arranging the bedroom from paint colors, bed linen choices, and various other room furniture.
You can also use hooks that appeal to your child such as, "Later in your new room, you can build your own puppet palace." You have to help your child believe that sleeping in his or her own room is a joyful and proud experience, not a scourge.
2. Create a pleasant room atmosphere
In order for a child to want to sleep in his own room, he must feel safe and comfortable in his room. So, arrange it so that the child's room feels alive but peaceful enough to rest. Prepare dolls, pillows, and bolsters so that the child feels safe and calm while sleeping. Also, let your child keep some toys or reading books in the room so that they feel a sense of belonging and the child quickly feels at home in his new room.
3. Do not rush the child to sleep
If all this time you rush your child to bed, the child will not feel sleepy and want to sleep. Instead, he will feel anxious and think that bedtime is a time to be hated. So, make sure that the child's bedtime is a priority for you or your partner. No need to rush your child to urinate, brush their teeth, or pray before they get into bed. Get around by advancing the child's nighttime sleep. That way, the preparations can be more relaxed. Children also feel relaxed before closing their eyes. So that your child is happier when it's time for a break, read or tell interesting stories to put him to sleep.
4. Reduce sources of distraction
Children usually find it more difficult to sleep at night if there are many disturbances in their room. So, as much as possible keep sources of distractions that can emit light such as televisions, computers, game consoles (PlayStation or Xbox), and other electronic devices from the child's room. If your child already has smartphone yourself, offer to keep it while the child sleeps and promise to return it in the morning.
5. Overcoming fear
Some children don't want to sleep alone for fear of the dark or ghosts. To overcome fear, you can provide lots of dolls, pillows, or blankets around the bed so that the child feels safe. Pretend to ask one of your child's puppets to look after him while he sleeps so that he is calmer and feels protected. Assure the child that you or your partner are not far from the child's room so they can always monitor him.
If the child is still scared, you can check into the child's bedroom every 10 to 15 minutes. When you check and your child is still awake, praise the courage for staying calm in bed and not catching up with you or your partner. After that, wait a little longer to check on your child in the room again, about half an hour or an hour. Usually by that time the child was fast asleep.
If your child is afraid of the dark, use a light sleeper with a soft light. Encourage the child to put on stickers that can glow in the dark to take fear away from her mind at night. If your room is adjacent to his room, you can also slightly open the door so that light comes in and the child can still feel the presence of you and your partner.
6. Stay firm and consistent
This is something that should not be forgotten when you and your partner try to get your child to learn to sleep alone. When the child can not sleep and catches up to your room, gently invite and accompany the child to return to his own bed. Tell the child emphatically that he should go back to sleep because it is late. If you let him sleep with you and your partner, it will be more difficult for children to learn to be independent.
However, if the child has a nightmare, immediately handle it by asking about his dream and making sure that it is just a sleep flower that is not real. You have to keep inviting the child to go back to sleep. Don't let your child use the excuse of nightmares as a weapon to avoid sleeping alone in his or her room.
7. Set the right time to sleep
Your child will find it difficult to sleep if their biological clock is messy. So, you have to make sure that the child sleeps on time. Do not force him to go to sleep too early, but try to keep the child from sleeping beyond his bedtime. If your child finds it difficult to fall asleep at night, you can cut or advance their nap hours. Also, make sure your child is full and has gone to the bathroom before bed so he doesn't use these things as an alibi to get out of his room at night.
8. Appreciate the child's business
So that your child is more enthusiastic about learning to sleep on his own, you can give him a reward after he sleeps alone in his own room. Make sure the rewards are simple and not too overwhelming, for example by offering kisses, compliments, and thanks in the morning. You can also serve his favorite breakfast menu as a token of appreciation. That way, children will be more motivated to learn to sleep on their own.
