World Sleep Day: How Parents Can Help Their Kids (and Themselves) Sleep Better
March 14th is World Sleep Day, which is a great opportunity to think about the role that sleep plays on our and our children’s health and wellbeing.
For new dads and mums, sleep often feels like a distant memory, especially when navigating the sleep challenges of having a newborn or young child. The good news is, you don’t have to face this sleep-deprived journey alone.
At Dads Rock, we understand the challenges that come with getting your baby to sleep (and keeping them asleep) and how it can affect the whole family. That’s why we’re here to help with our sleep workshops that provide dads with the support and guidance they need to establish healthy sleep habits for their little ones.
Why sleep matters for the whole family
As I’m sure you know, having a baby means that as a parent, your sleep schedule can get completely obliterated. Babies' sleep schedules tend to be about half of the length of the average adult’s, and when babies wake up in the night it is much harder for them to fall back to sleep independently. This results in both babies’ and parents' sleep being disturbed.
A baby’s sleep (or lack of it) can have a huge impact on the entire family. For babies, sleep is an incredibly important time to help with their development. Studies have found infants who are tired have a much harder time dealing with stress and regulating their emotions.
But it’s not only babies that need to have a good sleep schedule. According to Sleepfoundation.org, the consequences of parents being sleep-deprived in the postpartum period can be really strong. When parents don’t get enough sleep they can be a lot more vulnerable to things like anxiety and depression as well as being a lot more prone to accidents and injuries.
According to the NHS, babies over 12 months need to sleep for around 12-15 hours per day, so what can you as parents do to help build a schedule to ensure that both you and your baby are sleeping a healthy amount?
How Dads Rock Can Help - Our Sleep Workshops
At Dads Rock we run free online Sleep Workshops aimed at parents and carers. These workshops are designed to help you to gain some confidence in how to best understand and help develop your child’s sleeping patterns. The workshops run for two hours, and provide you with information on how sleep works, what is normal sleep behaviour, what are common issues with sleep and how you can manage sleep; as well as having space for a Q&A session.
The way our sleep workshops are run gives participants opportunities to talk about what problems they are facing and their individual situations. We recognize that every child and family setup is different, which is why we take a personalized approach to each situation. We give parents and carers specific, catered advice based on what they have told us about the age of the child, where they currently sleep, what their routine is, who does the sleep routine with them etc.
This approach is what differentiates us from other parenting resources (like books, articles, etc.) as our advice and suggestions are tailored for every individual situation. And don’t just take it from us! Read Colin’s Story to find out about how our Sleep Workshop helped a family who were struggling to get their twins to sleep through the night.
Our next Sleep Workshop will take place on the 28th of May from 7-9pm for Dads and Mums. There is limited space, so sign up while there are still spaces available.
Final Thoughts: Why Sleep Should Be a Family Priority
Ensuring quality sleep for both parents and children is vital. By making sleep a priority, you set the foundation for improved well-being and positive growth for your little ones. At Dads Rock, we are dedicated to providing the resources and support that Dads and families need to foster healthy sleep routines for their children. Don't miss out on our next Sleep Workshop—take the step toward better sleep for your family this World Sleep Day.