Episode 35: Helping Children Get the Sleep They Need During Stressful Times with Paula Morales

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Tell me, does this sound familiar?

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You are getting your little one ready for bed but suddenly they burst into tears or explode into a tantrum. You are already tired from a long day and really just need bedtime to happen so that you can finally get a chance to relax, to turn off. But no matter what you do to try soothing your child and get them to sleep, it just won't work and you feel stuck. They are resisting sleep and you are resisting their resistance, yes?

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I know from experience how hard this can be, which is why I called in my dear friend and colleague Paula Morales who is a sleep expert and a fellow conscious parenting nerd. She is an early childhood educator turned mom and sleep coach. She will be guiding us in understanding that it is not our job to force our children to sleep, but rather it is our job to provide the environment that allows sleep to happen.

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And so, here are some of the takeaways of this podcast episode:

  • Sleep is affected by everything. If your child is having a rough day, they will probably have a rough night. If your child is having nutritional problems, it's going to affect their sleep. So whole child well-being is key to getting good sleep.

  • Sleep is one of the biggest separations for our young ones. It is normal for some attachment-based separation anxiety to bubble up around bedtime and you can help with this by cultivating your connection and relationship with your child. It's so important to slow down and make time for 1:1 connection and playtime.

  • Sleep is influenced by their environment. Kids can get overwhelmed and dysregulated in new places or when things are busy and exciting. And when that happens, they need to unload and that often happens at bedtime. This offloading, this release, that a bedtime meltdown offers can actually be incredibly healing and helpful for them, and actually help them get better sleep.

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If you need more support with sleep, I highly recommend consulting with Paula! She has amazing, affordable options and offers tons of free support on her Instagram page. Check Paula's website www.newparadigmmotherhood.com and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.