(Shout out to shift-workers/single parents and the long distance worker/parent)
Now, as a wife of a pilot, a mother of two and a sleep consultant, I don’t have to tell any of you how ? it can be and beyond impossible to keep an on going routine with your kids. The witching /arsenic hr is already on the top list of parents most unenjoyable time of the day. But for the family where the parent does this on their own with one or more kids it can be a almost impossible. Firstly can I just salute my fellow soldiers! Sleeptime can be a battlefield (but thanks to this blog, it doesn’t have to be) The one thing I hear about the most is; bedtime is getting later and later/ how do I accomplish bedtime by myself? and how do I fit all this into a 15/20 min time frame?
Well let me tell you it is doable!
Here’s some tips to get you through the sleeptime routine
1 Start early, nothing’s worse than not leaving yourself time to be organised coming into bedtime! If you can, aim to have a good hour to an hour and a half for the journey from dinner to bed.
2 KISS- With dinner, if you can, use the KISS principle. Perhaps stick with sandwiches or finger food on the nights you are really tired or on your own and have something fancier or a hot meal at lunch. This way it can be pre-prepared, and it’s quick and easy.
3 For more than one child, stagger bed time. 5 min intervals can make all the difference. Even if you have a safe or a dry play area in the bathroom while you systematically bath each child. Have a production line happening 😉
This way you are utilising safe procedures when around water and it’s not as stressful.
4 One by One bed time. Get everyone dressed in the bathroom and then move room to room. Put the oldest (most mobile child) to bed first. This allows you to keep the less mobile child with you or you can even have a portacot set up (in a joint area) for the other children while putting the first child to sleep.
5 Try to keep it quick, no longer than 20-30 min in total for sleep routine.
A few things to remember –
Early is always better- an overtired child is not your friend.
Always keep the routine the same every night and be 100% consistent.
Be careful with the use of a sleep aid.
When in doubt phone a friend;
if you are having a particularly heinous night, call a friend and have a vent. If things are really going south or a problem with your child’s sleep lasts more than a week (a sleep issue can take as little as 3 days to develop) get in contact with us!
We specialise and have intimate knowledge when constructing sleep initiatives for you and your shift worker family!
Sleep Sweet ???