At the end of the day you just hope your child will nod off to sleep without a battle.  You are frazzled, your energy reserves are low and the last thing you need is for them to resist bedtime.  It’s vitally important to establish your child’s bedtime routine from an early age.   That groundwork you put in when they are babies will pay dividends over the following years.

Children NEED a proper night’s sleep so it’s not just for the benefit of your sanity either!  Apparently sleep deprivation can impact a child’s development.  My boys get about 10 hours a night which is the right amount according to the article.  I know if I have less sleep, I don’t cope particularly well.  I want my boys to get plenty of shut eye ready to face the challenges of school.

Here are a few tips to help you master your child’s bedtime routine.

Buy Blackout Blinds

This is essential especially now as the evenings are lighter.  Darkening the room gives your child cues that its time to sleep.  Blackout blinds don’t even have to cost that much so are worth trying with your child.  Basically, you want to reduce any interruptions to your child’s sleep and the amount of light coming into the room is a great place to start.  Now my boys are older they think sunshine beaming in means they are missing out as its still technically DAYTIME in their minds!  We release melatonin also known as the “sleep hormone” when its dark and that helps us relax off to sleep.

Don’t Give Up

It can take time to perfect your child’s bedtime routine.  There will be times when you feel like nothing is working.  But perseverance does pay off so stick to the routine.  We have had up’s and down’s over the years, mainly when they were very young.  Those blips where they refused to go to sleep.  But we stuck with our bedtime routine and weathered the tricky times.  Now they sleep very well, and I think its because of the solid foundations we built early on.

You might find you get bombarded with requests at bedtime.  My eldest who barely drinks in the day seems to develop an overwhelming thirst at night!!!  But you need to keep those requests for more drinks, cuddles, chats to a minimum otherwise it just gets later and later.

Think About The Room Temperature

You want to achieve a comfortable room temperature.  The Sleep Council advises a temperature between 16-18°C and no colder than 12°C.  In winter our house is very cold, so we give the boys extra blankets.

A Soft Toy

If you have young children, it’s a good idea to give them a soft toy for bedtime.  It will make it easier for them being separated from you as they have such a strong attachment to their toy!  When he was little my eldest had a rabbit that he liked to use the ears to stroke his face to comfort himself.  Self-soothing at bedtime means children cope better at going to sleep.

Fingers crossed these tips will give you a hand with your child’s bedtime routine.  Just remember they are only small for such a short time.  Whatever sleep battles you have remember to hang in there, you can do this!