By Sleep Fairy Sarah Quick
We spend all year dreaming of those precious 2 weeks playing on the beach and staying in a hotel or apartment with our wonderful family! Now, the reality is that it can actually be a time of whinging, stropping & tantrums and that’s just from the other half! But in all seriousness, the change of routine, food and environment can cause all sorts of challenges with behaviour, so here is The Sleep Fairy’s Easy Behaviour Management Plan.
Stage One – set realistic expectations
This is as much for you as for your children – 3 hour leisurely lunches with young children isn’t realistic. 45 minutes to an hour is.
Stage Two – be clear about consequences
If your child throws sand at another child then the consequence is sitting next to you for “Time Out”. NO wriggle room! They will say it was someone else’s fault of course, but you need to follow through with an undesirable consequence so they know not to do it again.
Stage three – relax and let some things go
At home everything must be eaten before you can have pudding, only 1 ice cream a day, bed by 7pm on the dot! On holiday the diet will go a little array, you will have more crisps, sweets and later nights. Its OK. When you get home being healthy, strict bedtimes and being sensible are the order of the day, on holiday as Arna would sing “Let it go, let it go!!”
Remember, as with our youngsters early sleeping challenges, changes to routine do mess things up but if you are prepared, structured and most of all consistent then happy holidays can be here again.
If you are experiencing challenging behaviour from your child and you’d like a consultation with one of our experienced (both professional and personally) consultants please do give us a call or send a email.
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