I am a huge sleep advocate. A child earlier to bed has huge positive implications for their mental, physical and emotional wellbeing as well as their ability to be their best at school. It is also important for parents too so that they can have time to themselves of an evening to decompress. Having said that, getting your child to sleep earlier can be A LOT easier said than done.
You know the drill – it’s coming up to bedtime, but your child has other ideas. They’d like to think they’ve got another couple of hours still in them, you are desperate to get them to bed so you can have a bit of peace and quiet before crashing out yourself.
So how can you end the bedtime battles and get your child to sleep earlier when they find the idea of bedtime either totally laughable or horrifying?
Although I am no qualified sleep expert, today I wanted to share some tips on how to get your child to sleep earlier that has worked for us.
Do not ditch the routine
As children get older, and you become a more weary parent, it can be all too tempting to ditch the bedtime routine. Well, I would say, hold onto it for as long as you can. After a busy day where our children have been exposed to so many things, they need ample time to switch off and wind down.
Keeping the bath and book bedtime routine really helps with this. My daughter is now eight going on nine years old and we still keep the bath (or shower) and reading time (albeit independently) routine in place and it works wonders. Simple yet effective.
Light exposure during the day/dim the lights at night
To help regulate their body clocks, it’s important they are exposed to light from the minute they wake up. So that means opening up their curtains in the morning (which my daughter would never do otherwise!), getting some time outside every day, and then dimming the lights which we tend to do after dinner time, which is a really nice relaxing thing to do.
Limit screen time
The current guidance for both adults and children is to limit exposure to blue light/screens (which interferes with melatonin production – the sleep hormone), at least two hours before bed. In our house, it’s no screens after seven, or earlier if I can manage it for a bedtime of around 8pm.
Obviously, you can only do your best but aiming for screen-free time before bed even if it is only an hour before will help to minimise sleep reduction and help them wind down more effectively before bedtime.
Being active enough during the day
We lead a much more sedentary life than we used to, and that goes for kids too. If your children are full of beans at bedtime, consider that they may not have had enough physical activity during the day. All kids are different and some will need more. The key here is to know your own child.
If your child always wants to stay up later, maybe try burning off some steam after dinner with a physical activity you can do indoors to expend their remaining energy (we usually have a mini rave!).
Not eating before bedtime
Some dinner times can drag on for sure! And then before you know, it’s 7pm and there’s a request for pudding. Unfortunately, such a high dose of sugar does not make for an earlier bedtime. So let your children know there is a cut-off time for pudding. It will probably incentivize them to be a bit more time-efficient with their dinner eating!
Use tools for winding down
I have a nightly ritual at around 7 pm for doing some wind-down yoga, which my daughter often joins in with for a bit and this is fantastic for getting her chilled for bedtime. You can also try some meditation with your children, some mindful activities like drawing or colouring, and the like.
We have also recently discovered a wonderful and life-changing natural sleep and relaxation remedy balm called Dudu BaaBaa made with 100% aromatherapy oils known for promoting sleep. I always rub some on my daughter’s feet and give her a quick little relaxing foot massage before she goes to sleep and 10 minutes later – off she goes. I also use this myself and can tell you this stuff is magic!
Other points to mention
There are a few probably quite obvious things I’d also like to mention which are:
- Ensuring their room is a calm, uncluttered space and. Look into black out blinds and eye masks if they are sensitive to light, especially in the summer months
- Making sure their room is at a good temperature for sleep – not too hot or not too cold. The ideal temperature for sleep is around 18.3C
- Waking up at the same time every morning (more or less) – no crazy lie ins which will throw their body clock and also make them want to go to sleep later. Of course a late night on special occassions, for sleepovers and the like are totally fine, just don’t make a habit out of it
- Naps – ha if only! If they are over the age of 5 or 6, they shouldn’t need a nap, and if they do take one, this will seriously push back bedtime (unless they are ill in which case they most definitely need the nap to heal and get better).
Do you struggle with getting your children/child to sleep earlier? Let us know in a comment below.
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