For kids between the ages of 1 to 2, they need 11-14 hours, while those between the ages of 3 to 5 need 10-13 hours a day. After a long summer, many children need to reset their biological clocks before they can settle into their new school lifestyle. A lack of sleep can adversely affect performance, attention span, and physical health. Ready to fix your child’s sleep schedule? These expert-approved tips can help your little ones snooze better through the night.
CREATE A CONSISTENT BEDTIME AND WAKE-UP ROUTINE
Not having the required snooze time has been linked to a number of conditions in both parents and children. The first tip to easily combat this is to create a consistent bedtime and wake-up routine.
Every night, perform bedtime rituals that will ease your child’s mind and prepare their body for sleep. These include soothing activities such as bathing, reading, or even singing lullabies. Following a consistent routine helps your child know it’s time for bed while also developing their internal clock.
For kids returning to a school schedule, Wake your child up around the same time every day and begin reinstating the school-night bedtime routines that may have become relaxed over the break. Start by scheduling consistent bath and pajama time, story-time, and other pre-bedtime activities as part of the nighttime adjustment process. When children know what to expect, they feel much safer and at ease.
PICK AN EFFECTIVE START DATE
In all honesty, there is never truly a perfect time to start sleep training or enforcing a new sleep schedule. However, it is important to avoid scheduling the change in sleep routines around major events in your child’s life (time changes, a new home or relocation, a different bedroom, etc.)
Typically, many parents decide to start the process of readjusting sleep schedules on Fridays. This lets them take advantage of the upcoming weekend so they won’t have to worry about sleep deprivation at work. Some use vacation days instead of Fridays as they work the same. Also, remember: Sleep training or Sleep rescheduling will always be more successful if your child has been napping well.
ESTABLISH A SETTING OR A SCENE
When it comes to your child’s sleep schedule, the environment is vital. First, you must establish a relaxing setting at bedtime. Keep the room quiet, dark, cool, and comfortable.
Ensure that you keep anything unnecessarily stimulating out of the equation— this includes tickling, watching television, or playing with electronic toys. All electronics should be turned off about an hour or two before bedtime, and they should be taken out of the bedroom. For the little ones who love to play games like the many found on sites like csgo bet sites, turning those devices off even earlier would be beneficial. Decrease light exposure a minimum of two hours before bedtime. This helps your child’s system to adjust to the lull of nighttime slowly and, in turn, helps them prepare for a good night’s rest.
CAPITALIZE ON DAILY ACTIVITIES
While it is crucial and important to establish a relaxing setting when bedtime comes knocking, the child’s activities during the day are just as crucial to how well they sleep at nighttime. To help your child find better sleep when due, it is advisable to keep them physically active during the day. They can have a fun day playing or running around, even after school and perhaps a nap.
However, as time starts to pass and nighttime starts approaching, you must gradually wind down the activities. Avoid any rigorous exercise two hours before bedtime. This trick, as old as time, keeps your children all played out, and all wriggled out, leaving their bodies craving for rest and a time out.
ESTABLISH A POSITIVE BEDTIME RITUAL
The amount of sleep a child needs depends on their age and other metabolic factors. However, developing a
series of activities that can be closely associated with bedtime held out tremendously. Bedtime routines help to create healthy sleep patterns because, as mentioned earlier, familiar cues help your child know it’s time to simmer down.Rituals can be essential during chaotic times, like when a new baby comes home or when you’re on the road. Routines help children know what to expect, which, in turn, gives them a sense of control and certainty. Some ideas for positive bedtime rituals include reading bedtime stories, snuggling, or listening to soothing music. You can also implement the use of “Transitional sleep objects,” like a special stuffed animal or precious blanket—all of these help in settling into a better-planned sleep schedule.
WATCH OUT FOR TROUBLESOME DINNER
Having the wrong kind of dinner before going to bed can bring unnecessary trouble that neither you nor your child wants. It is crucial to keep an eye on what your child eats before going to sleep as it affects their schedule unbelievably. First, Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine and any medication that has a stimulant before bedtime.
While trying to keep things balanced, it is also essential that your child does not go to bed hungry. Still in the spirit of balance, having a good, healthy dinner means they must not have a big meal before bedtime. Children should not drink caffeine, and for adolescents who do, it should be limited to the morning only. No caffeine should be consumed after noon, or it may interfere with the child’s ability to sleep. This includes coffee, as well as any other caffeinated beverage like tea and soda.
STAY CONSISTENT
Getting your child to readjust might be as frustrating as getting them to do many other things. However, despite how frustrating things might get, it is crucial to remain consistent while exercising patience. One of the biggest mistakes parents make when trying to get their little ones to settle into a new sleeping schedule is being inconsistent, no matter what sleep-training method they use. It is essential to keep at it until you notice changes and, eventually, a smooth rhythm.
Teaching and molding children’s habits indeed are no easy feat. However, with patience and the right guidance, anything — not just fixing their sleep schedule— becomes achievable. With these tips, it is time to improve the quality and amount of your little one’s snooze time.
A good night’s sleep is essential to the growth and development of children, and children require much more sleep than adults. Sometimes however, children are unable to get the necessary amounts of nightly sleep that they need, and it can sometimes be attributed to a sleep disorder.
At The Alaska Sleep Clinic we provide consultation and therapeutic management for a wide variety of pediatric sleep disorders. We understand that your child’s health is important to you and we want to assure you that our Board Certified Sleep Physicians are highly adept at treating child sleep disorders.
Children require more special care than adults and it is important to us that our physicians are trained in communicating with children of all ages and are experienced in calming the fears of nervous young patients while providing quality care for them in a relaxed, non-threatening environment.
Author Bio: Theresa Cofield is a freelance writer who has a love for creativity and a passion for helping others. She works as a blogger at csgobettingg.com where she covers the topics of esports and the gaming industry.I will be waiting for your feedback!
