Howto Christmas-proof your family’s slumber

The festive period can play havoc with sleep routines, writes Lucy Wolfe, but there are ways to minimise the disruption

‘It’s Christmas time… there’s no need to be afraid” — unless of course you are a parent with a toddler or preschooler, whose sleep could be entirely knocked off course due to the travel, late nights and excitement that comes at this time of year. As the wonderful Christmas period approaches some parents will start to worry about how to maintain a well-rested child and still enjoy the festive period.

As it is a time of travel and parties and excitement, it is possible that sleep can become disturbed and an overtired cycle can quickly evolve leading to a fussy, unhappy child (and parent) at what is supposed to be the happiest time of the year.

Let’s do our best to Christmas-proof your family’s sleep:

Go with what you know

Whatever your current sleep practices are, continue to do what you have been doing. At Christmas, many families will travel to spend time with loved ones, and even if you are not staying away from home, you may not want to observe the earlier bedtimes that are often required to help better sleep to emerge.

As a result, I would discourage any big changes unless it really does suit to batten down the hatches and prioritise sleep over social.

When helping your toddler/preschooler to sleep better, deeper, longer and more, staying in one location overnight for four weeks is recommended, so it may need to be an in-house decision, but the excitement that comes with Christmas may undermine your efforts; the new year may be more suitable for bigger changes to be introduced.

Furthermore, I generally don’t think it’s a good idea to make significant changes like

giving the dummy or bottles away to Santa, although that can be a popular approach. I feel that it is a big adjustment for a young child and this may be better addressed in the new year. I recommend keeping completely away from big emotional adjustments at this special time in their lives.

Relinquishing their security items is such a big transition; it’s potentially emotionally stressful, and although some will give up the dummy or bottle willingly in exchange for expected gifts under the tree, many will do so as they of course want the presents.

But the reality of their loss may be traumatising, and they may carry with them a negativity, leading to unnecessary upset, which may degrade their sleep at a time of year when you would like your child to be as well rested as possible.

Enjoy days out and naps on the go

Although you may routinely have naps in the cot, in order to partake in many of the events, napping in the car or the buggy is a great option.

Time your journey around your normal sleep time and ensure that they firstly, get enough sleep, but that you are not completely tied to the house.

You will know your own child best, but avoid when possible missing their naps altogether; this does happen, so in the absence of a usual nap, make sure that bedtime is adjusted earlier to compensate.

Day sleep in an unfamiliar environment

If you have plans to enjoy some family get-togethers and your child will need a nap while you are there (and your child doesn’t routinely sleep in this house), I wouldn’t be inclined to try to get them to nap in a cot in a strange room for the sake of one or two days.

Definitely provide for the nap, but maybe opt for buggy or car sleep instead, and then the next day revisit naps in the cot at home as before.

Of course, your child may be routinely adjustable and they may be fine sleeping anywhere, but a large percentage of children will find it hard to sleep in an unfamiliar room and cot.

If you do plan to nap in another house, spend some non-sleep time in the room acclimatising them and be sure to always provide a good 10-15 minute pre-sleep ritual to help them make the transition from awake to asleep.

Bring your portable black-out blinds and own bedding/ sleeping bag.

If napping in a buggy, make sure the room is dark. If you are going for a walk, use a snooze shade or similar to make the space dark and suitable to invite sleep tendencies.

Have a later bedtime... but not too many!

Family time is so important that I feel we can prioritise it over sleep time — at Christmas time, family should come first. If some late nights are called for, then allow them to happen; be flexible and then ensure that you allow a level of compensation, but in the right areas.

So even if you have a later than normal bedtime, anchoring the day with a regular wake time of 7.30am, despite going to bed later the night before can help regulate the body clock and avoid a common pitfall that can lead to sleep refusal.

You can certainly allow for a longer nap as the day unfolds, and for children who generally no longer nap, re-inserting a nap can be a good way to balance the sleep need, without going into freefall.

Be mindful of sugar

It’s pretty much inevitable that there will be more goodies available than normal, but be mindful of the impact of increased sugar intake, layered with high levels of excitement.

Give your children everything in moderation — to avoid issues, do not allow unlimited access to the dessert tray, biscuits and sweets.

Screen time vs green time

Many children will enjoy watching Christmas movies, playing computers games and electronic media gadgets and of course it’s going to happen, especially if they have older siblings or cousins.

However, remove the screens at least an hour before the anticipated bedtime — and make sure you balance sedentary activity with outside activity and fresh air.

Even if the weather is not amazing, wrap them up and for at least an hour a day of outside activity, with plenty of natural light exposure to help regulate the sleeping patterns.

Help them switch off

It’s a sensory overload. The lights, the music, the decorations, the anticipation , the visitors, the higher levels of stimulation — party games and so on — can mean that it is hard for your child to relax and wind down in preparation for sleep.

So make sure to provide an opportunity to prepare for sleep away from the fun and excitement.

Have a bedtime routine — at least 20 minutes — with just one parent, in the bedroom that they sleep in. Give loads of time to them to help bring them down from their natural high and new experiences, smells, tastes and people.

Try to ensure that the bedtime routine has an ending so that their small bodies can start to welcome sleep.

Encourage them with the thoughts of what we might look forward to tomorrow and take it from there.

Above all, have a most wonderful Christmas time with your loved ones and I look forward to encouraging a rested New Year.

‘If you do plan to nap in another house, spend some non-sleep time in the room acclimatising them’

Lucy Wolfe is a sleep consultant, author of the bestselling book The Baby Sleep Solution, creator of the award winning brand ‘Sleep Through’, a natural bed and body sleep spray and relaxing rub, now available from local pharmacies. The mum of four runs a private sleep consulting practice where she provides knowledge, expertise and support to families across the country. See sleepmatters.ie| 087 2683584| lucy@ sleepmatters.ie