'A good night's sleep' is at the top of the wish list for parents everywhere.
Whether you've got a new-born baby or a terrific tot, young children often struggle to sleep through the night.
So you can expect a big sign of relief when shut eye is on the cards - as rest is important for parents and kids alike.
But sadly what we want is not always what we get.
Thankfully, a child sleep coach has shared how parents can keep the whole family happy - by enforcing bedtimes as early as 5.30pm.
What might sound like a shot in the dark, is in fact a reliable method to ensure "a great night of rest", according to the sleep guru known as @restgrowthrive.
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here
Taking to Instagram, certified paediatric sleep consultant Autumn explained how early bedtimes can be parents' "secret weapon".
She wrote: "Tell a parent to put their little one to bed at 5:30/6:00 p.m. and you’ll get some wide eyes. ⠀
"Trust me, I get it - an early bedtime can be SCARY! Most often, parents think it will lead to an early wakeup.
"But, in many circumstances an early bedtime can be your secret weapon to your child getting a GREAT night of rest and repaying any built up sleep debts. It *typically* winds up with the child sleeping in until their normal wakeup time."
After explaining how the method should be used to make up for missed sleep, she went on to advise which are the best regular bedtimes, plus when to bring bedtime forward.
Autumn said: "Most babies and toddlers do best with a regular bedtime falling somewhere between 6-8:00 p.m. ⠀
"When I talk about super early bedtimes, a bedtime as early as 5:30 p.m. is NOT meant to be their new normal forever. It’s a temporary solution for situations such as:⠀
-
Nap transitions - when losing an entire sleep period in a nap transition, bumping bedtime up temporarily is key to protecting night sleep and avoiding a cycle of over tiredness.
-
You’ve been seeing early wakeups for a while - If you’re child has been waking up for the day in the 5’s (or the 4s!); it is often due to a bit of chronic sleep debt and a few nights of an earlier bedtime can help them repay that sleep debt.
-
Poor or non-existent naps (can often occur @ daycare) - It’s always a good idea to bump bedtime earlier if naps throughout the day were short, on-the-go, or totally nonexistent."
Concluding her post, she summed up her advice in seven words, writing: "Don’t be afraid of the early bedtime!"
Do you have a story to share? We pay for stories. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
