Tips to Make Kid’s Bedtime Easier
Getting children to bed on time every night is probably the most common challenge every parent goes through. It is a tedious task but holds utmost importance as it’s related to kids’ health and weelbeing. When kids don’t get proper sleep, they fail to control their emotions and get irritable, hyper, and tiresome. However, if it happens frequently, they tend to develop behavioural issues, obesity problems and more, which is no fun for any parent.
Kids at home and even in the daycares of the best pre-nursery schools in Gurgaon, resist going to their beds and make the funniest and weirdest excuses to defer bedtime which go like “I don’t want to sleep alone”, “There is a dragon in my room”, “I am hungry”, “Let me play for 1 hour then I will sleep” and what not. Every parent can relate to such excuses as they come across a new line everyday. For parents casting about ways to make their kids’ bedtime easier, here are a few tips to make their kids’ bedtime easier:
Set a Bedtime Routine
Create a family bedtime routine of sleeping at a particular time. Children learn things by observing. Hence, parents’ should also go to bed together to make kids follow them. You need to wind up all your tasks in time, like feeding them healthy meals, taking them for a night walk, making them brush their teach, etc., to put everything to rest 15-20 minutes before bedtime. It’ll give you time to prepare your bed, dim the lights, etc. This will work as cues for your child to get into sleeping mode.
Create Sleeping Environment
Building a proper resting atmosphere is very important for your child. The room has to be dark, quiet and temperature of the room should be reasonable to make your kid feel calm and comfortable. However, some kids like to have little light in their room, others want soft toys to sleep with, and many like to have their favourite blanket. Try to arrange all the stuff your kids are habitual of, like making them drink water and take them for a leak, wear them relaxing night dress and more to develop the cosiest environment to keep them attracted to bedtime.
Turn Off Electronic Devices
Electronic products distract kids a lot during bedtime by tricking their brains into thinking of staying awake. Remove every electronic device and gadget from your kid’s room, from television to laptops to gaming consoles. Allowing mobiles, computers and TVs in kids’ rooms gives them possible distractions, which you may not control after leaving the room. Also, put your phones on silent mode, as even if children sleep, a notification or call can disturb their sleep.
Complete the Bedtime Rituals
The bedtime rituals are the acts that encourage your child to sleep. It may include reading storybooks, rhymes, and lullabies or talking about their day and feelings. The entertaining, learning and motivating aspect of fables and poems or expressing themselves can easily encourage kids to reach their beds. It makes kids’ bedtime easier by providing them with life lessons with an element of fun or discussions they always crave for. Concluding the bedtime routine with a good night kiss, warm hug, etc., can provide emotional comfort to your child that lasts his sleep.
You may like to read: Rhymes & Storybook Suggestions for Preschool Kids’ Parents.
Lookout for Sleep Disorder Signs
If your children are facing a sleep disorder, you must check their sleeping behaviours at night and their actions during the day. If they are recurrently tired, have difficulty doing homework, feel hungry mid-night even after having a proper meal, or show behavioural issues in their school, it could be a sign of a sleep disorder. In such cases, you must consult a paediatrician to make bedtime simpler for your kids.
Every child is different; therefore, some unique measures can always be taken to bring them to bed. The aforementioned points can make you find some easy ways to get your children to bed and provide them with the most pleasant environment.
These are some of the tips we follow at Beansprouts Day care centre. Please share in comments below if this was helpful for you.