her sleeping alone in her room and was able to instead trust she was okay, she easily slept through the night, waking more rested. My own anxiety was causing her
sleep disturbances.” Christine Gipple, of Oaklyn, New Jersey, a practitioner of non-violent communication, shares, “When my daughter is chatty at bedtime and I’m past ready for her to be in bed, I have to consciously pause, or I can snap at her, thus delaying bedtime. Granting myself just fi ve minutes to reset myself and be present in the moment before I gently re-engage is critical to the outcome.” Such checking in with ourselves helps keep a parent thinking positively. Law of Attraction specialist Cassie Parks, of Denver, Colorado, advises, “When you focus on the feeling you desire once a child is peacefully asleep, rather than the feeling you want to move away from, your chances for success greatly increase.” Noting how we envision nighttime unfolding or creating a nighttime vision board can help focus and maintain these feelings.
Releasing Stress One method parents have successfully used is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It involves light tapping on specifi c points along the body’s energy meridians, like the collarbone or between the eyebrows, often accompanied by attention to current thoughts and feelings, in order to restore a balanced feeling. Karin Davidson, of Media,
Pennsylvania, co-founder of the Meridian Tapping Techniques Association, says, “Including tapping with a supportive nighttime routine can be a godsend. It can relieve distress, whatever its source, increase feelings of security and promote a peaceful transition to sleep.” In clinical studies from the National Institute for Integrative Healthcare, EFT has been shown to counter the stress hormones
Parents that model self-care help their children learn to care for themselves.
~ Sheila Pai, author, Nurturing You
adrenaline and cortisol, contributing to decreased sleep disturbances. Marissa Wolf,
of The Woodlands, Texas, relates, “We moved here from San Diego when my son was 34 months old. He was acting out in ways I’d never seen before, mourning the loss of his routine.
Within weeks after we started tapping before school and at night, he was back to his happy self. Last night, he simply went to bed and fell asleep. Now when I see his built-up emotions, I know we need to tap.” (To learn more about EFT methods, visit
emofree.com.)
Nourished Rest
Good nutrition is also important to healthy sleep. According to Health Coach Sarah Outlaw, owner of the Natural Health Improvement Center of South Jersey and an advanced Nutrition Response Testing practitioner, “Children may be devoid of minerals because of the fi ltered water we drink. Supplementing with minerals like magnesium or enriching the diet with trace minerals, sea salt and mineral- rich bone broth will promote a healthy immune system, along with a nervous system programmed for sleep.” Outlaw also advises, “A whole foods diet is paramount to children’s health and sleep ability. Parents should limit or eliminate artifi cial fl avors, sweeteners and sugar; preferably at all times, but at least an hour before bedtime.” When a parent takes the time to plan
each step toward their goal of optimum sleep and feels secure in following through, they can create a personalized and consistent bedtime routine that fosters a sense of safety for children that feel heard and tended to and know what to expect. Children that gain the ability to naturally develop sleep skills reap lifelong health benefi ts.
Stephanie Dodd is the author of the international bestseller, Good Baby, Bad Sleeper. She blogs at
HeartCenteredSleep.com.
March 2016 23
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