WEBINAR
Soon enough our children will grow and become more independent and need us less. We don’t need to hold it against a child that separation is so hard, that monsters appear, or that dreams are scary. Instead, take delight that we can bring such comfort. It is a testament to our relationship that our kids want to turn to us for contact and closeness. The secret to bedtimes is helping a child see that it’s not their job to strive to hold on to us but to take for granted that we won’t let go of them. When they take this to heart, they can better rest and separate into sleep.
Hello!
I am so glad you will be joining in for the Getting Bedtime Right, sleep webinar.
In this webinar we will go through:
- why sleep is such a challenge for our children
- how can we get a good nights sleep while preserving our relationship and helping them feel secure in our care
- the insights from developmental science that can help us find our way through
- what pitfalls we want to steer clear of (or correct if needed)
Webinar Description
There are many reasons we need our children to go to sleep when we want them to, for their sake and certainly for ours. It can even be a desperate bid to save one’s sanity. Sleep cannot be commanded however, in children or ourselves for that matter. The more we urgent we become about sleep, the less likely it is to happen.
This is no small issue. Nor is it just a contemporary one. Parents have been facing this problem ever since they figured out how to have children. For children it is primarily a separation issue – the first of a myriad of separation issues they will face in their life, including their own mortality. The way we help parents solve this issue can have lasting effects in many arenas – their future parenting, their relationship with the child, never mind the child’s emotions and personality.
Unfortunately, many have taken a wrong turn with sleep issues, some playing the separation card to bring sleep as a defense; others making the child responsible to learn self-soothing skills or to cry it out. This presentation is for parents or professionals who are interested in an attachment based and developmentally friendly approach to sleep issues.
The answer to the sleep problem lies in understanding the nature of the underlying threat. Dr. MacNamara will discuss why young children have sleep problems in the first place, and then outline a safe three-pronged approach that can address most any problem that can exist for a child. She will also discuss the most ancient and traditional tool of all for helping children go peacefully to sleep, together with the reasons that science is now giving us for how and why this tool works. If we can help parents solve the bedtime problem properly, it will serve as a template for solving a myriad of problems along the way.
* The event will include BOTH a presentation as well as a question and answer period on sleep issues.
* CERTIFICATES of attendance will be provided electronically
RESOURCES
- Taming Bedtime Monsters when Sleep is Scary
- Bedtime Battles: When Saying Goodnight is Hard
- Rest, Play, Grow – Chapter 8: Alarmed by Disconnection
INFOGRAPHICS
LULLABY PROJECT
Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project provides a beautiful example of the power of music to bring our children to rest. The following handout is used by the Lullaby project to help parents write their children a personalized song to sing them to sleep.
FURTHER STUDY
Are you a sleep consultant, educator or parent interested in gaining further depth into a relational and developmental approach to sleep issues?
The Neufeld Institute has a Sleep Study Certificate that can be taken through self-paced study or through an online class if scheduled. More information and registration can be found through the link as well as in the following.