Anyone who looks into the subject of sleep a little more closely may stumble across the term "sleep hygiene" sooner or later. But what exactly does it mean? Brushing your teeth before going to bed? Fresh bed linen? Not quite. You can find out what it's all about and why it's important in the following article.
Sleep hygiene for children – the key to a good night's sleep
Sleep hygiene affects not only babies, but also adults. The term covers everything that recurs regularly and gives us a secure framework for nightly sleep. It essentially provides a basic structure of consistent routines and circumstances.
Sleep hygiene includes factors such as the sleep environment and bedtime rituals.
In this video, you will find a summary of everything you need to consider when it comes to sleep hygiene for children.
The sleep environment
The sleep environment plays a decisive role, especially for babies. For a peaceful, deep and truly restorative sleep, a person must feel safe and secure in their bed. The reason for this is obvious: thousands of years ago, it was important that the sleeping place was free from danger. Today it is a matter of course for us that we are safe in bed, but back then threats lurked everywhere. If humans slept and did not notice what was going on around them, they all too often risked their lives. Therefore, to this day, we still have primal instincts designed to protect us. Such an instinct is responsible for us waking up quickly in a threatening situation in order to get to safety.
The bed must therefore be a place where the baby feels safe and secure. In addition, it should be used exclusively for sleeping and not, for example, for playing. The baby must learn that nothing exciting will happen here and that it is a place of relaxation and peace. Televisions, computers or similar items therefore have no place in the immediate vicinity of the baby's cot.
Incidentally, a baby feels most secure in its cot when it is put to sleep in a sleeping bag or a swaddle blanket. Furthermore, the room should not be heated too much.
Day-night rhythm
When your baby wakes up and is hungry, do not use too much light and only speak softly to them. This helps them gradually find a day-night rhythm. Sometimes it is also enough to simply wait a little while before going to the child and taking them out of the crib. Some children cry in their sleep but then sink back into a deep sleep quite naturally and all by themselves.
The bedtime ritual
A bedtime ritual is also a component of sleep hygiene. Children need structure; it gives them security and orientation. Therefore, it is especially important for them before going to bed to know exactly what is happening and when. Being suddenly pulled away from playing and put to bed is, understandably, not fun at all for babies. If, on the other hand, a consistent, timed bedtime ritual is followed beforehand, they know exactly when bedtime is being signaled and can prepare for it.
Rather quiet activities are suitable as a bedtime ritual, such as reading from a book, telling a story, saying a prayer together, or singing a song.
It is also important that your baby never perceives going to bed as a punishment. This would agitate them and flood them with emotions that make falling asleep peacefully more difficult and disturb their emotional balance.
Even with a baby only a few weeks old, you as parents can slowly start to introduce one or another ritual. Even if this does not immediately lead to problem-free falling asleep and sleeping through the night, especially with very small babies, you have laid a solid foundation for good and healthy baby sleep. Also and especially when it comes to sleep, the old saying applies: Good things take time. Almost all babies have sleep problems at some point. With good sleep hygiene, it is easier to overcome them.
If you create a safe environment for your offspring and ensure that they feel comfortable in their crib, you have already taken a big step in the right direction. Everything else usually falls into place over time.
By the way
A safe and at the same time beautiful alternative to a crib for your baby is our automatic baby hammock from swing2sleep. Babies feel secure due to the confinement and the continuous swinging and are immediately transported back to their time in the womb.
