Children need sleep to grow and for brain development. Sleep deprivation can lead to days of tantrums and grumpy kids. When kids get the rest they need, they will perform better in school and at home. But, how can we assure that our children are getting the amount of sleep they need when we struggle getting them to bed?
Bedtime can become a frightful time of day for families with little ones who want to burn the midnight oil. It seems that children have a great talent of prolonging the inevitable, but there is a way to combat that skill. Parents who establish nighttime routines have better success at getting their children to bed at an acceptable time.
Setting up a nighttime routine is simple. A good nighttime routine will be established with the child’s involvement. Allow your child to assist you in planning the routine. They will be excited to follow “their” plan when it is complete. Of course, as a parent, you must guide the process or it may end up with steps like: eat ice cream, watch one more television episode, or skip the bath. Help your child make wise decisions about his/her health by choosing appropriate steps for a nighttime routine.
A good routine might be as follows:
1- 10 minute warning
2- Clean up toys and turn off television
3- Bath time
4- Pajama time
5- Brush teeth
6- Get a drink of water
7- Potty
8- Story time
9- Hugs and kisses
10- Lights out
11- Catch some “ZZZZs”
It is okay to offer a healthy snack before bed as well, but preferably early in the evening. You can choose to add this to your nighttime routine as well.
By establishing a routine, you will notice that your children are having fewer incidents of staying up too late and, in return, your children and you will get much more rest.
Be sure to encourage your child to fall asleep on his/her own. Give them a stuffed animal or doll to hug and assure them that you will check in on them. It can be difficult for some children to make a transition from having parent presence for bedtime to sleeping on their own, but with your encouragement and assurance they will eventually feel secure enough to fall asleep on their own.
With a routine in place and with the child feeling safe and loved, bedtime will become a much smoother event.
