Having trouble getting your children to sleep? Try these great tips.
Getting enough sleep as a parent can be tricky, but it’s often made worse if your children are struggling to sleep too. Sleep is essential for the growth and development of your child, so it’s important that they’re getting enough good-quality sleep to live an active and healthy life.
If your children are struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep, here are some tips that just might help.
1. Create a relaxing bedtime routine
We all know how important a routine is, especially when it comes to sleep. Having a bedtime routine for your children is key, particularly for under five-year-olds, and is a good opportunity for them to wind down and learn when it is time for bed. Their bedtime routine should include some relaxing rituals, such as a warm bath and a quiet story, to help them drift off to sleep. Avoid any activities that are too loud or stimulating.
2. Turn off devices
As adults, we’re aware of how hard it can be to sleep if we’ve been using devices before bed. The same goes for your children, but unlike adults, they can’t function nearly as well without enough sleep. Make sure that your children’s bedrooms are free from any devices, particularly ones that emit blue light, and avoid allowing them to watch TV or play on a phone or tablet before bedtime.
3. Create a calming sleep environment
To help your child get to sleep, make sure their bedroom is a calm, quiet environment. It should be relatively dark, comfortable, and cool (below 23°C). You might think that your child needs to be wrapped up warm to sleep, but this isn’t the case. To maintain a deep sleep, our bodies need to drop their internal temperature, so having the room a bit cooler will actually benefit your child’s sleep.
4. Keep evening meals light
Eating a heavy meal right before bedtime is uncomfortable for anyone, not just children. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep any meals your children are eating in the hours before bedtime light and free from too many sugars. If they’re asking for a snack after dinner, opt for something low in sugar and fat. Try not to let your children drink any fizzy drinks right before bed, otherwise you’ll all have a terrible night’s sleep!
5. Set a wake-up time
As with their bedtime, your child’s wake-up time should also be consistent. You’ll learn pretty quickly what time they naturally wake up, so you can set that as their usual wake-up time. Although they might sleep in a little on weekends (which is great for you!), don’t allow them to have too much extra sleep or it will affect their entire routine and disrupt their sleep for the next few days.
6. Keep them active
Often, the best sleep we experience is after a day of physical activity and exercise. Children are usually naturally very active, but make sure that they’re always getting enough fresh air and exercise. When it comes to sleep, physical activity should help them fall asleep faster, but try to encourage quieter activities in the hours before their bedtime so they’re not too stimulated to sleep.
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