Family Sleep Meeting
A family meeting is a great way to teach your child, 2.5 years and up, about your expectations for sleep. Keep it short and upbeat. In preparation, it’s best to have a few tools ready to go:
- Toddler clock or Okay-to-Wake Clock: These clocks provide an effective way for little ones to know when it’s appropriate to get up. Using light, sound or images, they can give a child confidence that it is either still night time – go back to sleep, or that it’s morning – time to get up! (see Age-Appropriate Sleep Schedules)
- Bedtime Routine Poster: Using your own drawings or clip art, create a poster that shows all the steps to the routine. See pictured.
- Sleep Rules Poster: Again, using your own drawings or clip art, create a poster that shows the rules of sleep that your child will be following. See pictured.
The posters remind them of their responsibilities so you don’t have to! Children feel more secure and are more likely to cooperate when they know what to expect and what is expected of them. (see Bedtime Power Struggles)
If your child is capable of helping to make the posters, do them together! Maybe their job is to add stickers or some artistic designs.
In the meeting…
- Celebrate one or two great sleep skills your child already has. These can even be bedtime routine skills.
- Identify one or two skills that can be improved. Say that you will help them learn great sleep habits to keep them healthy and happy.
- Discuss why it’s important for everyone in the family to get great sleep: Sleep makes us feel great, helps us grow and learn, and gives us energy for play and work. By “everyone”, I’m highlighting the fact that children also have a responsibility to protect their parents’ sleep.
- Look at the posters together. Remind them of the steps of the bedtime routine and explain the sleep rules.
- Practice the sleep rules when it’s not bedtime. Kids love to pretend that they’re going to sleep. Remember to practice with the clock.
- Put up the posters where your child can clearly see them. Bedtime Routine is often posted in the bathroom. Sleep Rules is best posted in the child’s bedroom.
Stay positive
Learning new sleep skills can be tricky and takes time. Continue to practice the skills with them. Remind them of the steps on the posters. And let them know you believe in them!
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Download my Sleep Rules poster and Bedtime Routine poster, to share with your child.