Oftentimes, I hear parents describe a nursery or bedroom as “just a crib and dresser,” thinking this might be a good thing. However, it raises a red flag for me as a sleep consultant! Infants and toddlers often experience very normal separation anxiety from parents, and this can cause major sleep disruptions. Add these feelings to being left in a sparse room for sleep, and you can understand why they don’t want to be left alone!
Bedrooms should be your child's little haven...their own space and a place where they feel safe.
Inside a room, there should be books, maybe a cozy chair, stuffed animals, and bright or contrasting colored toys to aid in visual development. As they get older, allow your child to make requests for items in their room and decorate it how they would like it! They may wish to have a certain theme like space, flowers, trucks, or jungle. Keep it within reason so that it can stay tidy and not break the bank, but let the perfectly designed aesthetic go out the window! And keep the TV, iPads, tablets out.
Here's a photo of my daughters room with all her beloved art! Not designer magazine worthy, but she was proud to hang these pieces.
Toys and decor are not so much of a distraction that they are causing sleep disruptions - there are likely other factors that are leading to sleep issues!
In addition to making the bedroom a space your child loves, you should intentionally encourage them to spend time in their room when it doesn’t involve sleeping. Play with your baby in their room! Turn up the music for dancing, read books, play on the floor, build forts - whatever you do, let it be child-led and don’t micromanage how they spend their time and play. I also recommend thinking long term and not allowing crafts or other messy activities in their bedroom unless that is something you’re going to allow as they get older.
When a child drops their nap, quiet or rest time is a perfect built-in way to spend time in their room!
In their bedroom for an hour with the door shut doing a quiet activity is exactly where rest time should happen on a daily basis. At a minimum, 30 minutes a day is the recommended amount of time a child should spend in their bedroom when it’s not part of getting ready for bed.
Be proactive about your child’s fears of being left alone in their room by making it a happy place for them! A place they retreat to when they are upset, a place where they can play and use their imagination, and a place where they feel safe happily falling asleep independently!
The Blueprint: An empty bedroom without distractions won't help your baby sleep better. Create a space they feel connected to!
Comments