Sudden Sleep Setbacks

Just when you thought you your child’s sleep issues were improving, you hit a unexpected setback. You were beginning to enjoy feeling rested and feeling more confident in your child’s sleep patterns, so it can be very frustrating to go through sudden sleep setbacks with your child.

Unfortunately, solving children’s sleep issues is an on-going process can last years (not weeks). Children grow and change on a daily basis, which means that their sleep issues can be unpredictable and downright baffling. One day you will feel like you have it all figured out only to be sent back to square one the next day.

Realizing that this naturally occurs is the first step in coming to terms with these frustrations. The journey from hourly wake up calls from your infant to a sleeping-through-the-night-every-night child is rarely a straight path. Creating healthy sleep patterns is more like a dance – two steps forward, one step back, and a few side steps in between.

As children learn and grow, their sleep will change as well. Growth spurts often mean that a child needs more sleep, yet has trouble falling and staying asleep. Disruptions to regular routines like illness, vacation, or the birth of a sibling are likely to result in sleep disruptions. You may find yourself struggling to follow through with your plans in the wee hours of the morning and then stressing about your inability to stay on track. But setbacks happen, and they happen to everyone.

 
Underlying Reason

Instead of just going along for the ride, take the time to examine the situation and try to figure out why your current sleep setback is occurring. Check for any of the typical sleep disruptors: signs of teething, changes happening in your household, separation anxiety, the possibility of a growth spurt. If you are able to identify the reasons that your child is not sleeping as well, you can come up with a plan to deal with those reasons and get sleep back on track.

Unfortunately, you will not always be able to figure out what’s going on. If you’re baffled, simply start from the beginning. Organize a sleep plan incorporating any of the solutions that have brought you success in the past. Or you could take a fresh and different approach, and try something new that you may have missed before.
 
Your Commitment

The reality is that sometimes you simply won’t have the time, ability, or heart to organize and stick to any type of sleep plan. You may realize that the reason that things were going smoothly before was because you were more consistent with bedtime routines, daily naps, and other daily details. If day to day chaos is affecting your child’s sleep, then you may need to establish a re-commitment to the plan that worked so well for you and your family before.

 
Change Expectations

Sometimes setbacks aren’t really setbacks at all. Sometimes the only thing that needs adjustment is your expectation. Are you being realistic about what you are expecting from your child? Have you been comparing your child’s sleep patterns to another child who happens to be a fabulous sleeper? Every human being is different, and patience is a parental requirement. If you try to move forward with a plan and expectations that are not personalized to your child and family, it will certainly end up in frustration.

New Problem

There is a difference between addressing a setback and a brand new problem. Your child may be hitting the stage in development where they go from two daily naps to only one, or maybe they are ready to give up naps entirely. It may seem like they are taking a step backward; however, maybe it is just one of those side steps that need to occur in your dance. A new normal may need to be established and whatever plan you come up with, it should take that into consideration.

 
Too Much Focus

Sleep issues have a way of taking your focus away from all of the good things that are happening on a daily basis. Your child’s new leaps in development may be creating sleepless nights, but they are also enabling your child to learn amazing new skills like walking, talking or reading. Don’t let the nightly dismays ruin the daily triumphs. Backing off of the sleep plan for a little while might be what everyone needs to be able to move forward happily.

~ These tips are from The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers