Good sleep is crucial for a healthy body and life: it’s restorative, it helps create positive behavioral and emotional regulation, and it can bring more happiness to the entire family.
What are your families sleep habits and how can they be improved?
Consider these tips for helping your child fall asleep—and stay asleep:
Set an ideal bedtime for your child.
- If your child is having a hard time accepting bedtime each night, move the bedtime to a later time by 30–90 minutes. After two or three successful later bedtimes, slowly move the bedtime earlier, in 15-minute increments, so your child adjusts to the new routine and eventually falls asleep at your ideal bedtime.
Introduce a bedtime routine to signal your child’s body and mind that it’s time to fall asleep.
- A consistent bedtime routine is everything. Routines signal the body to begin to wind down and head to bed. A consistent nighttime routine might include dinner, bath, song, story, and a kiss goodnight. Some children benefit from a visual schedule of their bedtime routine.
Fill your child’s “attention and fun bucket” before bedtime.
- Give your child plenty of attention and fun a couple hours before bedtime. This leaves the child satisfied with their day, so they can go to bed and not feel that they are missing out on their parents’ attention or fun activities. Keep in mind that physical engagement like chasing or tickle monster right before bedtime may cause more excitement and inability to fall asleep. These activities are perfect 1–3 hours before the bedtime routine begins.
- Limit the toys within the bedroom as some activities may compete with bedtime, causing children to delay or protest going to bed or distract them from going to sleep. When observing this, remove that toy before the next bedtime routine starts.
Set up the ideal sleep environment.
- Keep the room dark. Make sure there is little to no light, traffic light especially, as it flashes.
- Keep the temperature cool, between 60–67 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Try white noise. When purchasing a white noise machine, look for one that has a timer with 8+ hours or a manual shut off; you want it to play the entire time the child is asleep.
- Remove distractions (electronics/tv, blue light, etc.).
Sleeping well is crucial for the whole family’s wellness and health. These tips should increase the quality of sleep for you and your family. If not, it may be time to talk with your child’s pediatrician or another sleep professional.
