5 Common Sleep Problems in Children and How To Help💤
Sleep is extremely important for a child's development. Many children struggle to sleep through the night and wake up tired. 🥱We all know that a tired child is a grumpy child that struggles to concentrate and learn.😫
What may be preventing your child from having a good night's sleep?
Excessive sweating 💦
Toddlers sweat a lot more at night than older children and adults as their bodies can't regulate their temperature just yet. Excessive sweating can make the bedsheets and pyjamas soaking wet making your child uncomfortable and cold.Â
What to do? Make sure your child's bedroom is the correct temperature and the duvet is not too warm. Choose the right bedding protection. Non-breathable mattress protectors containing PVC make sweating worse. On the other hand, PeapodMats are breathable, 100% waterproof and comfy to sleep on.
Nightmares 😨
All children and adults have nightmares every once in a while. It might be distressing for your child as they're new to this experience.
What to do? You can reassure the child by leaving the light on or by letting them stay in your bed for the rest of the night.💖
Night terrors 😖
One of the scariest experiences we had to deal with.😓 Children might wake up screaming, kicking and being scared. They might also appear awake but they're deep asleep. It's almost impossible to wake the child up and they might be scared of you. While it can be very distressing, remember that they're asleep and don't know it's you.Â
What to do? It's important to remain calm and make sure that the child is safe and can't hurt themselves. Those episodes usually don't last very long and children don't remember anything in the morning. Night terrors are usually caused by a child being over-tired (e.g. missing naps in the day) or by a stressful day.
Sleepwalking 🚶
Some children sleepwalk occasionally.
What to do? There's no need to wake them up. Just make sure they're safe and go back to their bed. For smaller children, it might be a good idea to put a safety gate on their bedroom door.
Bedwetting 💦
While it can affect anyone, it's twice as common for boys than girls. Chances of bedwetting are even higher if the child's one or both parents experienced bedwetting as kids. Your child can wet the bed once or a couple of times per night. Stripping the bed might fully wake them up and they might find it harder to go back to sleep.
What to do? Use a washable bed pad. Choosing the right mattress protector is crucial at this stage. Pick a reusable bed pad that can be whisked away without any hassle in the middle of the night, just like PeapodMats. Simply take it off the bed, change their PJs and everyone can go back to sleep no time! 😴
PeapodMats - chosen for you
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