The arrival of a new brother or sister can be quite interesting for your toddler but it may also cause anxiety when your toddler worries about the shifting of attention from him/her to the new bundle of joy. This can also cause regression and sleep interruptions. Undeniably, parents need to be in high alert in terms of managing the two so as to avoid cases of sleeping disorders for the toddler. This article about toddler sleep guide after new baby arrives will help you get started.
Behaviours Associated with Sleepless Toddlers
Some of the psychological behaviours in this regard include temper tantrums, or regress which is further coupled with childish and retrogressive behavior where the toddler asks for baby items such as pacifiers and so on. This mostly come in the midst of attending to the newborn, and can be quite annoying, although it requires a lot of patience. Your toddler may often wake up at every cry of the little one, sometimes because he/she thinks of helping the parent or at times as an opportunity to get the attention. If you are going through this, do not panic. All you need to do is lead your toddler back to bed; it can be backed by an explanation as to why they should not worry and assist at night. Saying things like, “Mummy is ok to do this overnight so you can be rested for school,” or such.
Adding to sleep deprivation that is bound to take place during the first months upon arrival of the newborn, the toddler is likely to lose a lot of naptime as a result of the reasons mentioned above. In that case, you can substitute the naptime during the day to compensate or engage your toddler in lots of play during the day so that he/she will be extremely tired at night time. The frequency of waking up in the middle of the night will then be minimal. Nevertheless, you can adjust your toddler’s evening meal times to about 5-6 PM so that he/she can sleep earlier than the little baby.
Children are also likely to sleep well based on the treatment given to them before they sleep. Consequently, you can read a story to your toddler as you nurse the other newborn to make him/her feel special in a way; a settled mindset can really encourage comfort, less anxiety, stress and therefore better sleep.
If your toddler is co-sleeping with you, please don’t kick him/her out of bed to make room for the new baby! Keep the baby in a bassinet near the bed, or in a co-sleeper sidecar adjacent to the bed, but don’t add to your toddler’s feeling of dislocation. This will help your toddler sleep. Try to make the transition before the birth of a sibling. Do it at least 2-6 months before the birth.
The most vital thing to know about toddlers is to be consistent with discipline and the sleep time that you’ve set for them. And because you are busy with the other little one, you can make a time chart that you try to conform to and as a constant reminder to your toddler that it is time to sleep at least 45 minutes before. You can also let them read a story book in their bed to avoid cases of constant interruptions and have enough time to manage the little baby. Also make sure that your toddler is not engaged in a busy activity just before bedtime.
Keynote in Regards to Toddlers
Good sleeping habits are helpful for developing the brain and preventing complicated health conditions such as obesity and anxiety. As explained further by the American Academy of Pediatrics, children who do not sleep enough do not concentrate well. What every parent needs to really understand is that do not give in to children’s demands easily; the more they realise you are not giving in to them, the faster they get into the sleeping program you’ve set up for them.
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