(HealthDay News) -- If you're struggling with getting your child to go to sleep or stay asleep, the National Sleep Foundation recommends setting a nightly routine.
Children should have a standard bedtime that you stick to every night of the week. Leave plenty of time for them to get ready for bed and to finish the preparatory routine.
You may want to give your child a light snack after dinner and before bed, according to the foundation. After snack time should be bath time, then it's time to put on pajamas and brush his teeth. A bedtime story is a good way to wind down and prepare your child for sleep. When it's time for him to go to sleep, make sure the room is quiet and dark, then leave the room.
The NSF also recommends that you do not go into the child's room every time he wakes in the middle of the night. Your child will begin to expect you to come to his room and will not learn to go back to sleep by himself, the foundation warns.
