Bedtime Sleep Tips with the #Bedtimeguru

One of the biggest changes you face as a parent is the loss of sleep, and as a parent of children aged from 5 to 22 I've had a lot of broken nights, and I still can't claim to have ever found the secret of a great night's sleep.

Bed Guru are trying to find the best sleep tips for parents in their #Bedtimeguru campaign and have asked me to share my best tips. These are what worked for me...

I'm not a person who can leave a baby to cry, I'd rather cart them around with me and plot them on the floor or wherever nearby to whatever I'm attempting to do, with the end result that my children would sleep anywhere. This is a really handy thing.

I breastfed all of my babies, and definitely by the time I got to number five I had realised you can easily nudge them into a routine that works for you both, but it won't be the same for every child. Plot feeds and spot a routine, and then you can work out how you can slide it around to make it work best for you both/all. Starting a feed thirty minutes before every school run, and the last feed in bed an hour before you want to sleep were both two ways I made my life so much calmer.

Toddlers really do become awful when they're tired, which is no fun all round. The amount of sleep they need varies a bit, but the way they get it varies massively. Two of my children had dropped a daytime sleep by 18 months, one would still regularly sleep every afternoon aged 3 1/2. Life is definitely easier if you can compromise on this. If they're sleeping 3 hours every afternoon and don't want to go to bed at 7.30pm, is it really a surprise? Either cut back the daytime sleeping or have a later bedtime. If they get up at 5am every day and early mornings are not your thing, shift the routine by moving bedtime later,

Early risers can be because your child is simply ready for breakfast. If you've limited daytime sleeping and it isn't helping, a sensible carbohydrate-based snack (toast, crackers, low sugar cereal etc) half an hour before bed will not only keep them going until daybreak, but will also help soothe them to sleep as part of a bedtime routine and it'll give them a nice full tummy.

Bedtime routine is a great thing. Keeping to a set routine not only settles your child ready for sleep and keeps them aware of how long before they'll be in bed, it's precious time together, where you learn about each other and have your most important conversations about worries and expectations and plans. As a bonus it can bring a love of books and reading that'll see your child through their exams in years to come.

The nice people at Bed Guru know parents need a treat every now and again, and have sent me a luxurious hamper to help me unwind after the kids are finally tucked up in bed. The hamper includes Bettys Tea Room tea and biscuits, a Yorkshire Soap co. candle, a Coconut and Shea Butter face mask and a Sally Hanson French Manicure Kit. 

Bed Guru also had a hamper to send to one of my readers as a giveaway prize. THat giveaway has now ended. 

For all of my live giveaways, or help with Gleam, please see my giveaways page....