Need help with your child’s sleep? Join our sleep practitioners for a Q&A

3 mins read

Thursday 10 June 2021

A child that doesn’t sleep well affects the whole family. Many parents say they feel caught in a vicious cycle struggling to cope, and it’s no surprise when you look at the research – 86% of children with additional needs have issues with sleep.

In addition, the disrupted routines many families are currently experiencing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, may have compounded sleep issues. So if you’re experiences difficulties, you’re not alone.

Strategies to help

There are many different strategies and approaches to helping children sleep. Some standard approaches help children get a good night’s rest include establishing  a bedtime routine, for example bath, pyjamas, story then bed, or avoiding TV and computers or hand-held devices an hour before bed time, because they stimulate the brain. However, there can be complex reasons why disabled children don’t sleep well, and you might find you need more bespoke help, depending on the nature of your child’s medical condition or disability.

Join our Facebook Q&A next Tuesday 15 June, 2-3 pm

We’re inviting you to ask our family support advisers your questions about any issue related to sleep at a special  Q&A session in our closed Facebook page on Tuesday 15 June between 2-3pm. Join us to get practical information and support from our parent advisers and trained sleep practitioners, including:

  • How to make your child’s bedroom a relaxing place
  • Creating a bedtime routine
  • Settling to sleep or (dealing with?) night waking

To take part you’ll need to join over 6,500 other parent carers and become a member of our closed (private) Facebook Group – a safe space for you to discuss your concerns and share your tips about family life in lockdown.

Joining our Facebook Group is easy. Just answer a few simple questions to register and you’re in! Join us there on Tuesday 15 June between 2-3 pm when our team of family support advisers will be waiting to answer your questions.

Can’t make Tuesday?

Take a look at our programme of virtual, popular and free parent workshops. Topics include: Managing your child’s sleep, Money matters, Encouraging Positive Behaviour and Wellbeing for you.

Our Listening Ear’ service provides free 1-1 support for parents via a telephone appointment with one of our family support advisers, at a time that suits you to help with emotional support, strategies for reducing your child’s anxiety and challenging behaviour or help you with structuring the day. Check now for last-minute availability.

Our parent guide, Helping your child’s sleep, also has practical information and support for parents. You can check how much sleep a child needs at each age, learn about the sleep cycle, common causes of sleep disturbance and much more.