Sleep seems to be the ultimate struggle as a parent – both sleep for yourself and sleep for your child. Once new parents get past their newborn sleeping through the night, they may believe that their sleep troubles are over. Oh, you just wait new parents. There is more to come. Today I have a guest post from Judith, a mother of two, with 5 tips for helping your kids get to sleep. These tips really apply to any age, but seem most applicable to toddlers and young school-aged children. Hope they help, and you find some rest!

5 Tips for Helping Your Kids Get to Sleep

Getting the right amount of sleep is essential for children, since it’s during this time when their bodies undergo much of their growth and development. Yet, when it comes to bedtime many parents find their children face difficulties, which can put serious strain on both parent and child.

So what exactly can you do to help your child get off to sleep? And more importantly how do you get them to sleep through the night, so that they wake up re-energized and focused?

Thankfully, as a parent there is a lot you can do to help get things back on track. So here are some tips to help get your kids sleeping well each and every night.

1. Establish a Bedtime Routine

Establishing a bedtime routine can make a huge difference in helping your child get off to sleep in a calm and speedy manner. All children do well with an established structure, so by determining a certain time as “bedtime” you can provide them with a sense of security. It also provides them with an awareness of your expectations and gets them to associate certain rituals with bedtime.

A popular and very effective bedtime ritual is aptly named “winding down” time. This can involve a short period before bed time during which your child gets relaxed and calm so that they find it much easier to fall off to sleep.

Winding down rituals commonly include turning off electronics such as games and TV, putting on pajamas, ready for bed, and brushing teeth. Every child is different, and their needs will alter as they continue to grow and develop. The essential thing to remember is to be consistent.   

2. Help Your Child Face Their  Fears

A common issue for kids struggling to get off to sleep are bedtime fears. This commonly includes a fear of the dark or fear of monsters hiding under the bed. It’s important not to dismiss your child’s fears, as this can often result in them internalizing those fears and not wanting to express why they may be having issues in the future.

Instead, attempt to listen to your child’s fears and provide lots of reassurance. You may also find the use of a very dim night light or comforting companion toy to be helpful too. For more information on helping night time fears, this article is incredibly useful.

3. Create a Healthy Sleeping Environment

Your child’s sleeping environment needs to be one that is relaxing, quiet and free from noise and other distractions. Therefore, ensure your child’s bedroom or sleep space is quiet, dark and at a comfortable temperature. If your child struggles to sleep in the complete pitch black, you may find a night light or projector useful.

Some kids are also very sensitive to external background noise, in which case a white noise machine may be useful. This is a small device that plays a constant background noise, which can help by masking sounds that might interrupt sleep.  

4. Don’t Allow Electronics in the Bedroom

This has been briefly mentioned, but the use of electronics in the bedroom should be completely banned. This includes games consoles, cell phones, televisions and other such devices. Electronics in the bedroom can prevent your child getting to sleep by stimulating their brains, preventing them getting into that relaxed sleep state and in some cases even cause anxiety.

As a general rule, you should stop your child from using any electronic device for around an hour prior to going to bed. This will give them enough time to relax and get into the right mood to lie down to sleep. Don’t think just simply switching them off will work either. If left in the room, your child will likely be tempted to switch them back on once you have left the room.

5. Avoid Foods and Stimulants Before Bedtime

Drinks and foods containing stimulants like caffeine and high sugar content can make your child feel energized and active. This is definitely not the right combination that you want before bedtime. Therefore, don’t allow your child to eat or drink anything containing sugars or caffeine for at least a few hours before bed.  Make sure to check the nutrition information on your child’s favorite snacks. Sugar and, more surprisingly, caffeine can hide in things like snack bars (chocolate!), juice, and sodas.  

Snacks and drinks that are ideal for near bedtime include things like milk, bread and other healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables.

Final Words

If you are still having issues getting your child to get off to sleep after making the above adjustments to their routine, it’s possible that they may have some type of sleep disorder. If you do suspect that this may be the case, you should talk with your child’s paediatrician about their sleeping habits.

Author Bio

Judith is a mother of two and part time writer that enjoys helping other parents find solutions to common parenting concerns.