Amanda Jenner is a parenting expert and a global potty training and toddler specialist. The author of Potty Training Magic spoke exclusively with Express.co.uk about a number of parenting issues including how to get your little one to sleep through the night.
Amanda, who has 34.8K followers on her Instagram account @expertamandajenner, said creating a calming and relaxing sleep is key. Sleep is incredibly important for children, to boost their development and protect their health.
Studies show children who get enough sleep learn better, have better memory and attention, show better behaviour, and have better physical and mental health. Children’s sleep needs depend on their age, but babies aged zero to 12 months should sleep around 12 or 15 hours a day.
Two to three-year-olds sleep for 11 to 12 hours a night with one or two naps in the day, and three to four-year-olds’ sleep needs can vary between eight and 14 hours, and some might need a nap in the day. Amanda shared four important tips to help children sleep through the night. They include spending time with your child before bed and establishing a routine.
Make the bedroom relaxing
“Use the bed and bedroom for resting,” Amanda told Express.co.uk readers. “Make sure all toys are put away so there are no distractions. Make the bedroom a calm and relaxing around bedtime as this will help them lead to a calm and relaxing sleep.”
Dress them comfortably
Uncomfortable clothes will wake children up in the night and disturb them, especially if they are too warm. Amanda said: “Don’t overdress them as if they are too hot this will make them have a restless night.”
A content creator who shares her “mom life unfiltered” on her TikTok account @healthnutnutrition where she has 13K followers discussed how she gets her daughter to sleep through the night. Nikole uses a number of tricks and techniques to help baby Sage sleep.
One is sleep sacks, which are wearable blankets that keep babies warm but allow them to move during the night, too. The mum uses a number of methods to make sure the bedroom is as soothing as possible for her baby.
She puts a sound machine on while her daughter is sleeping to help soothe her, and she also uses blackout blinds in the room. “I like to just keep it nice and dark,” she said. “When I say dark, I like to get blackout curtains. This helps keep it black until they are actually ready to wake up.”
