Solutions to sleep concerns (13) – preschoolers 3 to 5 years
Solutions to sleep concerns (13) – preschoolers 3 to 5 years
In your language:
For translated fact sheets go to
Information in community languages
.
Sleep concerns and your preschooler
It can be difficult to know whether your preschooler is experiencing a sleep or settling concern. If your preschooler’s sleeping patterns are not affecting you or your family and you have strategies that work, then they may not have a sleep concern.
The following definition of ‘severe night waking’ provides a guide – however, you know your child the best, and if something is a concern for you, seek help and advice from
your local maternal and child nurse
, your doctor or the Maternal and Child Health Line on Tel.
13 22 29
.
Severe night waking
is when your child does one or more of the following things 5 or more times a week, for one or 2 weeks:
Consistently wakes more than three times a night.
Consistently takes more than 30 minutes to settle.
Stays awake for 20 minutes after waking.
Goes into the parents’ or caregivers’ bed.
Has difficulties with sleep and settling that is causing parents or caregivers significant distress.
Strategies to help your preschooler sleep and settle
Every preschooler is different, and some may continue to wake overnight.
Parents are encouraged to be responsive to the needs of their preschooler. Responsive settling is recognising that your child needs help by responding appropriately.
You can do this by
knowing their cues, tired signs and the intensity of their cry
. It is important that your preschooler knows you are emotionally and physically available if they become distressed.
Developing positive sleep environments and routines can also support your preschooler at bedtime.
Every family is different, and you need to use a strategy that you feel comfortable with and suits your preschooler and family.
Helping your preschooler sleep with bedtime fading
Bedtime fading can be used for children from 2 to 3 years. It is based on physiological theory of establishing sleep by limiting your child’s time in bed. With this approach your preschooler does not go to bed until they feel naturally tired or drowsy, resulting in less night-time wakings.
Record the time your preschooler goes to bed every night for a week.
Identify the latest time and set this as bedtime.
Gradually push back the bedtime by 15 minutes every 2 days.
You can also make bedtime earlier (if needed) using this approach. Once your child gets used to falling asleep easily and quickly when put to bed, move their bedtime forward by 15 minutes every 2 days.
Continue until your preschooler falls asleep quickly and has minimal night-time wakings, reaching a preferred bedtime.
Rewarding your pre-schooler for positive sleep behaviour
Once your child can understand and engage in conversation, you can use a reward chart or free passes to encourage positive sleep behaviour.
Reward charts
Reward charts are tools for changing your child’s behaviour and may include wall posters or apps. They demonstrate positive behaviour or goal that your child needs to achieve. Research shows that reward charts are effective in encouraging positive night-time behaviour. It is important that the reward is given after the good behaviour has been achieved, rather than before (which more resembles a bribe).
It is also important not to punish your child if they do not receive a reward. An example you could try is rewarding your child with a sticker in the morning if they do not call out overnight. Once they receive 5 stickers, they may then receive a reward (such as a family bike ride, a movie night, or special time with parents or caregivers).
Free passes
Free passes are another way to reinforce positive sleep behaviour. You will need to be consistent to use this strategy effectively. Give your preschooler a pass they can use for one acceptable request each night – for example, a drink of water or a kiss. Explain to your child that once they use the pass, they must give it to you and settle without any more requests or calling out.
If your child asks for something that is unacceptable (such as an ice cream or staying up later), or they begin protesting loudly and persistently, you must not respond as it will encourage difficult behaviour.
Helping your preschooler sleep safely
A cot is not a safe sleeping environment for your preschooler if they are attempting to or can climb out. There are strategies to
help them move from a cot to a bed
.
It is important to
make sure your home and preschooler’s sleeping environment is safe
. They shouldn’t have access to things like cords, electrical appliances, power points and access to stairs and windows as they could hurt themselves if they get up during the night.
Information in community languages
This fact sheet is available for download in the following community languages:
Easy English - Solutions to sleep concerns (13) preschoolers 3 to 5 years
docx
442.41 KB
Arabic - ورقۀ معلوماتی 13: راه حل های نگرانی های مربوط به خواب: اطفال پیش از سن مکتب 3 تا 5 ساله (Solutions to sleep concerns (13) preschoolers 3 to 5 years)
docx
247.59 KB
Burmese - အချက်အလက်မှတ်တမ်း 13 - အိပ်စက်ခြင်းဆိုင်ရာ စိုးရိမ်စရာများအတွက် အဖြေများ -မူကြိုကလေးငယ်များ 3–5 နှစ် (Solutions to sleep concerns (13) preschoolers 3 to 5 years)
doc
281 KB
Dari - صحيفة المعلومات 13، حلول لمشاكل النوم: الأطفال في مرحلة ما قبل المدرسة من عمر 3-5 سنوات (Solutions to sleep concerns (13) preschoolers 3 to 5 years)
docx
243.8 KB
Khmer - សន្លឹកព័ត៌មានទី១៣៖ ដំណោះស្រាយចំពោះការព្រួយបារម្ភអំពីការគេង៖ ក្មេងដែលត្រៀមចូលសាលាអាយុ៣-៥ឆ្នាំ (Solutions to sleep concerns (13) preschoolers 3 to 5 years)
docx
256.85 KB
Persian - برگه اطلاع رسانی 13: راه حل هایی برای نگرانی های مرتبط با خواب: کودکان پیش دبستانی 3 تا 5 ساله (Solutions to sleep concerns (13) preschoolers 3 to 5 years)
docx
243.56 KB
Punjabi - ਤੱਥਸ਼ੀਟ 13: ਨੀਂਦ ਦੀਆਂ ਚਿੰਤਾਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਹੱਲ: ਸਕੂਲ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਬੱਚੇ 3-5 ਸਾਲ (Solutions to sleep concerns (13) preschoolers 3 to 5 years)
docx
248.43 KB
Simplified Chinese - 信息说明书13：睡眠问题的解决方法：3–5岁学龄前儿童 (Solutions to sleep concerns (13) preschoolers 3 to 5 years)
docx
240.97 KB
Spanish - Hoja informativa 13: Soluciones a los problemas de sueño en niños en edad preescolar de 3 a 5 años (Solutions to sleep concerns (13) preschoolers 3 to 5 years)
docx
241.1 KB
Vietnamese - Tờ thông tin 13: Những giải pháp cho các lo lắng về giấc ngủ: trẻ mầm non từ 3 đến 5 tuổi (Solutions to sleep concerns (13) – preschoolers 3 to 5 years)
docx
242.53 KB
Maternal and child health nurse visits are important
Victorian parents have free access to the
Maternal and Child Health Service
. Specially trained maternal and child health will work with your family to help you care for your child until they are ready to start school.
As part of this service, you will visit a maternal and child health nurse in your local area at 10 key ages and stages in your child’s development. These visits are important because they you an opportunity to identify and address any issues and concerns early in your child’s development.
Visits take place:
following discharge from hospital (
home visit
)
2 weeks
4 weeks
8 weeks
4 months
8 months
1 year
18 months
2 years
3 and a half years
.
Families can access the service at other times by telephone or through a centre visit.
Where to get help
Your local maternal and child health
service
External Link
Your GP (doctor)
Maternal and Child Health Line
Tel.
13 22 29
– available 24 hours a day for the cost of a local call throughout Victoria
Mercy Health O’Connell Family
Centre
External Link
, Canterbury Tel.
(03) 8416 7600
Mercy Health Woi-wurrung-yagila-wulumperi Whittlesea Early Parenting
Centre
External Link
, South Morang Tel.
(03) 9407 6820
Queen Elizabeth Centre
(QEC)
External Link
Tel.
(03) 9549 2777
Tweddle Child and Family Health
Service
External Link
, Footscray and Werribee Tel.
(03) 9689 1577
Aboriginal Health Service
(VAHS)
External Link
Tel.
03 9419 3000
Parentline
Tel.
13 22 89
Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS
National)
External Link
Tel.
131 450
– available (24 hours, 7 days) for callers who speak other languages
National Relay
Service
External Link
(24 hours, 7 days) – Speak and listen Tel.
1300 555 727
, TTY Tel.
133 677
, SMS relay Tel.
0423 677 767
.
Captioned, internet and video relay calls are also available through this
service
External Link
.
NURSE-ON-CALL
Tel.
1300 60 60 24
– for expert health advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Kidsafe
Victoria
External Link
Tel.
(03) 9036 2306
Red
Nose
External Link
(formerly SIDS and Kids) Tel.
1300 998 698
– for safe sleeping information, education, and all other enquiries