Inside: How to Establish the Right Sleep Routine for Your Kids. Collaborative post.
A solid bedtime routine is essential for children to get the rest they need for their physical and mental development. It sets the stage for a calm and restful sleep, helping children wind down and signal their bodies that it’s time to relax.
It is really important as a parent to know how to establish the right sleep routine for your kids, including the optimal amount of sleep they need, building consistency, incorporating essential elements in the routine, and starting at the right time.
How Much Sleep Does Your Child Need?
When it comes to how much sleep kids need, this varies depending on their age. Newborns require around 14-17 hours of sleep per day, while toddlers need about 11-14 hours. Nursery-aged children typically require 10-13 hours, and school-aged children should aim for 9-12 hours of sleep each night.
Understanding your child’s age-specific sleep needs is crucial in establishing an appropriate sleep routine.
How to Build a Bedtime Routine for Kids
Building a bedtime routine involves consistency and predictability. Start by setting a regular bedtime that allows for the recommended number of hours your child needs to sleep. This consistency helps regulate their bodies’ internal clock.
Gradually introduce activities that promote relaxation and winding down. A typical bedtime routine for a young child might involve a bath followed by a story, some cuddles, and then lights out. As they get older a bedtime routine might include putting screens (like phones or tablets) away, doing some independent reading or yoga, then getting comfortable in bed.
Make the Bedtime Routine Consistent
Consistency is key when establishing a sleep routine for your child. Select activities that work for your family and strive to follow the same sequence every night. Whether it’s bathing, brushing teeth, reading a book, or snuggling, consistency helps signal to your child that it’s time to sleep.
Start this routine as early as possible in your child’s life, and make it clear to them that this is what you do every night before bed. If for some reason you need to deviate from this routine, such as for a family party or an emergency, clearly communicate with your child that this is a break from the norm – and try to keep as much of the routine in place as possible.
Avoid introducing stimulating activities or screens close to bedtime, as they can interfere with the transition to sleep.
Start Your Child’s Bedtime Routine at the Right Time
Choosing the right time to begin the bedtime routine is essential – look back at how many hours of sleep your child needs at their age, work out the best time to be getting up in the morning, and figure out what time your little one needs to be asleep.
Start their bedtime routine with enough time to get through it and have them drifting off when they need to be! If you find they take a long time to get to sleep when their routine is done, try switching something up like their pillow, their bedding, how late they have their last snack or how light their room is at night.
Keep It Short and Sweet
A bedtime routine doesn’t need to drag on – it should include everything it needs to include in order for your little one to drift off, but we all know what kids are like in terms of trying everything possible to stay up later and later!
Don’t encourage this by developing a long and convoluted bedtime routine with unnecessary steps that can have the potential to turn into something it doesn’t need to be.
What to Include in Your Bedtime Routine
When putting together a bedtime routine, there are certain non-negotiables – these include hygiene. Whether it’s a bubble bath for your baby or encouraging your pre-teen to take a nice shower before bed, their routine should always involve cleanliness as well as brushing their teeth.
The other parts of your child’s pre-bed schedule is really down to the individual child: do they like a story read to them, or do they prefer to read or play independently? Do they need some encouragement to relax at night, through yoga or meditation for example? Tailor your child’s routine to them, and let them be involved (to an extent) in deciding how it will play out.
Establishing the Right Sleep Routine for Your Kids
A routine is all about consistency – finding something that works and sticking to it night after night, so your child’s brain knows that when they do XYZ (bath, teeth, book for example) it’s time to be winding down ready for bed.
Establishing a working routine early on in your child’s life is a vital part of their development, as sleep is so important. It will also make your life a lot easier, giving you some peace and quiet at the end of a long day…