Navigating The Festivities and Sleep!
05 Dec 2022
Aaahhh I remember December, pre kids:
Christmas shopping in the winter markets. Christmas drinks in the evenings with friends. Ice skating in winter wonderland with the other half; how romantic!
Now, with kids, it’s Christmas shopping on Amazon - i’m not taking 3 kids to the shops! Christmas drinks comprise of a bottle of beer whilst counting down to bedtime. Winter wonderland now involves dragging a giant penguin around the ice with a reluctant preschooler who cares not a jot how much you spent on making this crucial #memory and just wants to go get an ice cream.
I’m being cynical, of course. Yes some things have changed, but the magic of Christmas is so much more special when seeing it through the eyes of your child. This brings me on to the point of this month’s blog….; With all the excitement, activities and visits to family and friends, how do you manage your child’s sleep? Where do you squeeze in their naps? What time do you put them to bed? How flexible can you be?
A lot of this will depend upon the nature of your child and the plans you’ve made. For my son, Harrison, he has ZERO chill if he goes beyond nap time. He just can’t cope and it gets messy quickly. Some babies can power through happily til their next opportunity for sleep.
For the zero chill baby
It takes a little bit of planning; can you travel in the car over a nap so that they get a sleep? Can you factor in a pram nap if you’re out and about? Can you leave early from a family gathering to get them home to bed for the night?
For the easy going baby
Even they will need to sleep eventually, so keeping an eye on wake windows and giving them a chance to grab a nap at around the right time will help prevent too much disruption for them.
I remember once when the twins were babies we drove an hour and a half on a round trip to a family gathering that was only really half an hour away, just so that they could get their nap. I’m not suggesting you go to that extreme - but for us we just couldn’t face the aftermath of overtired twins if we sacrificed their sleep so it was something we were very happy to do!
Generally, the older the child, the more they are able to cope with the disruption so a few later bedtimes over the holidays is likely to be fine. If you notice overtiredness creeping in (tantrums, tears, clumsiness) then it’s the perfect excuse for a chilled out day eating Christmas snacks watching Christmas films!
In my capacity as a sleep coach, my advice is always based on what we know about the child’s temperament and what works within the family dynamics. Similarly, how you approach your child’s sleep over the Christmas period should be based on what you know about your child and whether the plans you’ve made are worth it for any potential sleep disruption. Giving them magical Christmas experiences that they will treasure is a special thing to be able to do for your little ones and please don’t let the stress of naps and sleep ruin that! That being said, if you feel that your little one isn’t going to cope well with day after day of gatherings and plans, it’s totally fine to hold up your hands and say “not this year”. They’re only little for a while and there’ll be another Christmas next year with all those opportunities to make plans and have fun all over again.
Follow your instincts and try to relax and enjoy!! Maybe even get a little sleep yourself too if you can - or is that just asking for a Christmas miracle….?
Are you a 'go with the flow' kinda parent or do you prefer a schedule and routine? How about your baby? Drop me an email (caroline@thesleepremedy.co.uk) if you need help working out what type of approach would best suit their personality type.