It’s safe to say that as soon as your little one starts to find their feet, they will be pulling up and standing every opportunity they get! Developmental milestones are so magical to watch, as they grow in their independence and confidence, so grab the camera and make some core memories!
But can developmental milestones affect sleeping? sadly, yes!
When babies or toddlers are learning major milestones such as rolling, crawling, pulling up, walking and talking, it is almost like their brains are on overdrive and they practice as often as they can, or they want to practice when they are having some quiet time in the cot.
It is usually a phase which will pass within a few weeks, once they have mastered the skill. However, here are some helpful tips that might help you in the meantime:
- Practice Makes Perfect
Give them lots of opportunities to practice their skill in the day time! You can set up your play space to foster their independence and allow them to give it a go! This might be lots of tummy time for new rollers, big open spaces for crawlers or walkers and sturdy items for your baby to pull up on. Afterall, practice makes perfect!
- Avoid Battles
If they keep standing in the cot, you ultimately can’t stop them. Try and lay them down a couple of times but if they keep standing up again, just let them! Getting into a battle of being up and down can turn into a rather amusing game (for them!). They will eventually get tired and lay down.
- Sleeping Bags
A good sleeping bag can often help make it a little trickier for them to stand up at sleeping time. The effort may be so big that they just give up trying and then nod off into dream land.
- Re-evaluate Sleep Timings
It might be a case of the sleep timings for your child aren’t quite right, and they are filling time in their cot/bed until they are ready to go to sleep. They made need some longer stretches before naps or bedtime so they aren’t going to bed undertired
We hope this helps and remember, patience is key. Support them in their development and ultimately the phase will pass!
