Creating the Right Sleeping Environment

To create the perfect sleeping environment, it is essential that your child has their own space to decorate any way they like (within reason). Even if they share a room with a sibling (or you, if their sleep anxiety is really bad, which was the situation in our house for quite a few years), creating a comforting, safe sleep environment can go a long way towards helping your reluctant sleeper feel more confident about sleeping.

Once your child truly believes that their room is the only place in the entire world that is theirs and theirs alone, they can develop a bond with that space and we need to make sure it is a safe and secure one, rather than being the scary place it currently is to them.

This stage is also tied in with the motivational stage, because bigger adjustments, such as upgrading to a bigger bed, or getting new furniture, can be a gradual process, that entices your child to be more open to overcoming their sleep anxiety.

Sitting down with your child and talking about their idea of the perfect room is a great way of starting the discussion about what is within reach for your family. If your child tells you something they want for their room which is too expensive, or simply impractical, you can offer more realistic alternatives until you agree on something. During this stage with our Little Miss, she wanted a loft bed which we could not afford, so we ended up agreeing that we would swap her single bed for the queen size bed in the spare room, and she was more than happy with that! 

An important note in this stage is not to change things too much at first, or too fast. It must be done gradually, and with your child being in control of every change, otherwise your reluctant sleeper's room can become so foreign to them that their sleep anxiety is made even worse. After you and your child decide on what changes will be made to the room, you must work out a timeline of when each change will happen. 

This is the timeline we followed for our Little Miss:

1. Decorated her room with nightlights of her choice (the 's' is not a spelling mistake, she has many nightlights!)

2. After one week of her sleeping well we rearranged her room to how she wanted it using the furniture she already had in there

3. After two weeks of her sleeping well we took out her single bed and replaced it with the queen size bed she wanted

4. After three weeks of her sleeping well she chose new bedding and quilt covers

5. After one month of her sleeping well the space was entirely hers, from the pictures on the walls to the many Harry Potter legos, statues, wands, and knick-knacks (many, many, many of these!), and all the special little touches that she did herself, truly making it hers.

The exception to the gradual introduction rule is for nightlights, projectors, breathing plushies, and sleep aids, which must be introduced immediately. These are the physical tools which will help calm your reluctant sleeper and empower them with the belief that they are strong enough to overcome their sleep anxiety. Again, though, it is important to not go overboard and introduce an abundance of all of these things. Unfortunately, this whole process is one of trial and error, and finding what works for your reluctant sleeper is not always an easy or straight-forward quest.

Looking at the timeline list above makes it seem like this was a smooth, trauma-free process for us, but do not be fooled! This stage was full of tears and screaming (and that was just from us) and our Little Miss really struggled. So it's really important to take it day by day, because when you're dealing with a child who suffers with sleep anxiety, a week can feel like an eternity for everyone in the house.

Night lights are a simple solution to changing the feel of a room, and if it's a special night light or a projector, it can create a sense of wonder and excitement about sleeping.  

Breathing plushies can also be an effective way of easing your troublesome sleeper into becoming used to sleeping on their own, by providing a source of comfort, and to lessen the feeling of being all alone when they are trying to fall asleep. Rather than lying awake worrying and listening for the tiniest sound to use as an excuse to run to us in a panic (very effectively undoing all our efforts of calming them down in preparation for sleep for the previous hour or two), they can focus on the rhythmic, calming, sound and feel of the soft plushy they are cuddling in their arms.

They also make it easier for your restless one to fall back asleep if they awaken during the night (or should we say when they awaken during the night?).

And, of course, they are also absolutely adorable! 

We have quite a few different options available in our range, so we are sure that your reluctant sleeper will easily find one they love.

Bedding can be a quick and easy solution to changing the appearance of a room, without too much expense. Allowing your child to choose a new quilt cover set, or blanket can transform their room into a new and more appealing space to encourage sleep.

Room Decorations can uplift the spirit of your child's room, and is a really easy way to transform the way your restless sleeper sees their environment.