You’ve followed all the advice on how to get your child to sleep at night. You’ve established a fantastic routine; you’ve abolished all stimulants before bedtime and your child’s bedroom is as relaxing as a luxury spa retreat. Yet your child still doesn’t sleep.

Why does nothing you do ever seem to work? What are you doing wrong?

Most children have trouble sleeping every now and then, but it can be extremely frustrating if everything you try seems to fail.

Take a look at these three surprising reasons why your child may not be sleeping at night.

1:They’re Too Hot or Cold

Let’s start with the science: your child needs to naturally lower their core temperature to achieve sleep. So… cranking up the heating to snuggle up and watch a movie downstairs isn’t a good idea. On the flipside, you don’t want your little one to wake up cold and shivering. Instead of assuming your child is comfortable, use a room thermometer and aim for a sleep temperature of between 65 to 70-degrees Fahrenheit.

2:  Hunger

Have you ever snuck downstairs to the fridge in the middle of the night to grab a snack? Well, even if you haven’t, you’ve probably felt like doing so at one point or another, and children can get the same midnight cravings.

 If this pattern of waking up occurs regularly for your child, you may want to focus a little more on what they’re having for dinner. Although it’s sometimes a struggle to get children to eat a decent meal at suppertime, giving your child food that you know they’ll like can go a long way in helping them to stay full for longer. It’s a good idea to save experimenting with new foods for lunchtime when your child isn’t going to need a full tummy for the next ten to twelve hours.

3:  Snoring

While we usually associate snoring with adults, the same problem can occur in younger children and even wake them from a restful sleep. Many children, especially those over 3 years old, snore on occasion. Pay attention to whether your child’s snoring seems usually prolonged or loud as it could be a sign of sleep apnoea.

Sometimes, it’s the things we least expect that affect children’s sleeping patterns the most.

We hope this blog provides some useful insight into why your child isn’t sleeping and what you can do to help your child enjoy a restful sleep every night.

We will be back soon with more sleep-related tips and advice so keep checking our blog for regular updates!