Tried and tested sleep tips from parents ... for parents

Last modified on Thursday 17 December 2020

This page contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small amount of money if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our articles and reviews are written independently by the Netmums editorial team.

Getting a good night's sleep is one of the biggest challenges of parenthood, so it's no wonder that nearly 11,000 parents took part in our survey to mark National Child Sleep Week. Here are some of our favourite tips – tried and tested by you!

The results provide a snapshot of how we mums and dads are sleeping – or not! – how we cope with sleep deprivation and what we think of sleep training methods.

Sadly, there's no single foolproof way to get little ones sleeping through (or to keep your toddler in his own bed, or to stop your four-year-old having nightmares ... ), but we've gathered some of our favourite tips for getting that elusive full night's kip.

These aren't the views of health professionals, but they've worked for other parents and they might just work for you, too.

So if you're relying on coffee after coffee to get you through the day, have a read of these ... they may just change your life!

Establishing a good routine

1 'Sticking to the same routine seems to work, so our child knows it's night-time and time for bed. We play a relaxing CD whilst brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed: a signal that it's bedtime.'

2 'When you're trying a new method, follow it for at least two weeks. Too much change, too fast confuses a child and it takes a while until they understand a new routine.'

3 'Be guided by your child's personality and don't be pressured into doing anything you don't feel happy with to keep with other mums. The best advice I was given was about bedtime routines or the lack of them was, "it's only a problem if you think it's a problem."'

Ideas for successful settling

4 'From birth, I always put my children down awake, so they settled to sleep themselves. I would never rock them to sleep as they get used to this.'

5 'Pottering around the landing tidying up or putting away laundry was the best thing to do while my kids were going to sleep. They got used to me not being in their room, but still being nearby.'

Trusting your instincts

6 'We did what we felt was right for us and waited until our little one was ready for a routine. If my "monster- in-law" had had her way, we'd have left him screaming in his cot. It might work for some, but it's not for me.'

7 'I've taken to pretending I'm going to bed at the same time as my kids. I get into my PJs and we jump into bed together. I lie with them until they drop off.'

Read about some of the different approaches for helping your child to sleep.

Comforting your child

8 'All three of my children have a silky blanket. A comfort blanket can really help get them to sleep, but always have a spare in case you can't find it!'

9 'Reading the same story before bed since our baby was very small has provided her with comfort and a is clear sign that it's now bedtime.'

Staying relaxed

10 'I like to get a lot of snuggling in before bedtime. I think it's important to physically connect with my children to help them feel relaxed and calm when I say goodnight and leave the room.'

11 'Making bedtime seem like a bad thing will cause problems, so we act like a bedtime story is a real treat. Now our little boy can't wait to get into bed every night and have a story and a song.'

12 'Develop a calm and relaxing bedtime routine of around 30 minutes to wind down. Stick to a reasonable bedtime that suits the family and provide a comfortable environment in which to sleep.'

Coping with fears, nightmares and 'monsters' in the room

13 'We use room spray to "get rid of monsters." This helps my little boy settle.'

14 'We got a few nightlights and called them "superhero lights." They did the trick in helping with our son's fears.'

15 'My four-year-old had night terrors and could see monsters "coming out of his dreams." We made a dream catcher out of a paper plate, feathers and beads, and I told him it would catch bad dreams so we could throw them out of the window.'

Sleep and special needs

16 'My son has dyspraxia and found it hard to settle at night. We changed from a duvet to a sleeping bag and noticed an immediate positive difference.'

17 'My son has autism so a regular bedtime routine is very important to him. We always give him a five-minute countdown before he goes to bed.'

Setting realistic aims

18 'Persevere. If you try too many things at once, you'll confuse your child. Stick with a routine or method for at least at week before deciding whether it's working or not.'

19 'We're realistic and don't expect our baby to sleep independently: he's a baby, so we deal with it! Sleeping through isn't the be-all and end-all.'

When you need extra help

20 'Cranial osteopathy worked for my 15-month-old who, until that point, had never slept through the night. Now he rarely wakes during a 11-hour period.'

21 'We did all the "right things" but our baby still woke. Eventually we realised she had an issue with her adenoids. If you just don't feel something is right, see the doctor as it may not be anything you're doing wrong.'

22 'When things are really tough, don't turn down offers of help. Catnap as and when you can, and get out for some fresh air for you and your baby: it really helps.'

Bedwetting

23 'Use double layers sheets on the bed so that if your child does wet the bed you can strip off the top sheet and waterproof sheet, revealing dry sheets underneath. It saves faffing about making beds at 2am.'

24 'Waking a child to go to the toilet doesn't stop them wetting the bed, and makes them have a disturbed night's sleep and a bad day's learning at school.'

See our guide to tackling bedwetting.

For more sleep tips, chat to other mums in the Netmums Coffeehouse forum below ...