Earlier today, I wrote about some suggestions for adjusting to a child who likes to get up early in the morning—just a few ideas for ways to keep the child safe and entertained when he or she insists upon getting up before the rest of the household. Some of those same ideas can work for those night owls too—but often mom and/or dad are still up and trying to have a “grown-up” evening or night while the child is bouncing off the walls too. Entertaining a night owl, or trying to get him or her to settle down for the evening can be a different type of challenge from dealing with an early riser.
I think it helps to determine what is motivating your night owl—is it because she really needs less sleep, or is it that she has anxieties or worries that keep her awake? Others might be staying up because the house is too noisy or they think they are missing out on something fun. If there are adjustments you can make to your schedule or how you operate in the evenings to make a night owl ready for bed—you might try those first. Once you have determined that it is a body clock issue and not for another reason, then you can start to figure out how to cope.
If the child is experiencing anxieties or worries or other mental health (or health) issues that are interfering with sleep—it may take some professional help and plenty of patience to begin working on these issues. For many of us parents, being able to identify a cause or reason for something as frustrating as a child that won’t go to bed or sleep easily can be a big relief and give us a renewed focus.
If your child has trouble going to sleep because nighttimes are so exciting and invigorating at your house (waiting for a parent to come home, late meals, older siblings who get to stay up, etc.) then you may have to either make evenings less interesting or accept that your child is not going to be content to toddle off to bed when things are jumping.
Also: Your Baby’s Body Clock