Life
How To Help Your Kid Sleep Through Noise
Unless you have the luxury of living in some kind of isolated oasis, you most likely have to face a mixture of noises at night. From traffic and sirens to barking dogs and annoying neighbors, it can be difficult for anyone to fall (and stay) asleep. If you have children and they're struggling to get a good night's rest due to distracting sounds, you might find yourself Googling " how to help your kid sleep through noise." Although it's typically easier said than done, there are actually quite a few ways you can ease your child into a healthy bedtime routine in spite of their loud environment.
Every child is different, though. For instance, my sister and I look and act very similar, but we were entirely different when it came to our sleep patterns as young kids. According to my mother, I could sleep through anything, anytime, anywhere. My sister, on the other hand, had trouble sleeping through the night and could get quite fussy.
So, even though each child may have their own ways of coping with noise disturbances during sleep, there are a few things you can do that will help any child adjust and sleep through noise.
1Mask The Noises
There's a saying that if you can't beat them, join them. That concept can apply to helping your child sleep through the night, too. According to the Baby Sleep Site, "white noise is simply static noise that helps to mask other background noise." So you might try simply drowning out the annoying sounds with a consistent, soothing white noise.
2Let Them Adjust
You can cover up or prevent every single sound. Perhaps learning how to deal with it will be the best option for your child. Dr. Laura E. Tomaselli, a senior instructor in pediatrics, told Parents, "the more a baby gets used to typical house noises, the better they'll be at sleeping through them."
3Pad Their Environment
To help muffle and sudden or loud noises, you can take a couple different approaches. According to the Raising Children Network, an informational site from the Australian Government Department of Social Services, installing heavy curtains, putting draft blockers under the door, and even simple things like shutting windows and doors can help. Noise management is different for everyone, so find which one works best for you.
4Focus On Daytime Activities
Whether you're trying to get your baby to sleep through noise at night or during nap time, it always helps if your child is already tired. According to the experts at the Baby Center, you should "make daytime social and lively and nighttime quiet and calm." Hopefully your child will be so tuckered out from all the activity during their waking hours, that they'll fall straight asleep and ignore any outside sounds.
5Keep Things Consistent
Children, just like adults, can get accustomed to any routine so long as it's practiced consistently. So even if noises seem to bother your child, you can help by keeping things structured. The Mayo Clinic noted that setting and maintaining a bedtime routine can help your child sleep better because their sleep cycles have adapted to the schedule you've set.
6Don't Skip Naps
If your child hasn't been sleeping through the night due to distracting noises, you might think that forgoing nap time will ensure that they'll be super sleepy come bed time. It's actually the opposite. According to Parenting, you shouldn't omit naps to try and get them to sleep longer. Depriving a child of sleep only makes it more difficult for them to calm down and fall asleep.
7Stimulate Other Senses
In my personal experience, I've found that if I could get my son focused on using his other senses (besides hearing), noise distractions fell by the wayside. Though you should consult with your child's pediatrician before introducing new things into their lives, things like lavender room spray, a textured baby blanket, and a mesmerizing night light that displayed different patterns on the ceiling all helped him ignore outside noises and fall asleep easily.
