With schools opening any time soon, you need to train your children to maintain healthy sleeping habits as well as help them ease into their school-time sleep. Outlined below are a few tips and ideas on how to ensure your child sleeps well during school time.
- Start working with your child to enable him/her return to the appropriate school-sleep schedule two weeks before the school calendar starts. Let the child wake up minutes earlier than the usual wake-up time. Letting your kid sleep and wake up early allows him/her get enough sleep, hence ready when school starts. Be sure he/she gets the recommended amount of sleep as per his/her age group.
- Stick to a set sleep schedule. Creating a sleep schedule takes some practice and discipline. Once this is set, have the child stick to it even during the weekends.
- Establish a bedtime routine. Create a relaxing ‘quiet time’ just before bedtime for your kid. This lets the child relax and unwind before heading to bed. Have him, or her indulge in relaxing activities such as taking a shower, read a storybook or bed-time stories for younger children.
- Limit electronic distractions such as video games, television, and smartphones before bedtime.
- A new mattress can make a big difference in how they sleep.
- Limit caffeine intake- caffeinated drinks, and especially fizzy sodas ought to be avoided a few hours to bedtime. To be safe, avoid coffee six hours before bedtime. Caffeine is a stimulant that can cause sleeplessness in both adults and children.
- Create a peaceful bedroom. The bedroom needs to be quiet and comfortable to induce sleep. Make sure bedroom temperatures aren’t too high or too cold, invest in a comfortable bed, as well as ensure the room is dark enough. Computers, televisions, and video games among other electronic devices should be removed from the kid’s bedroom.
- Be an example to the child. You too need a regular sleep schedule and stick to the same. It is by doing this that the kid will start emulating what you do, hence be able to sleep well at night.
One of the advantages of having your child re-adjust to the school-time sleep schedule is that he/she won’t have trouble waking up to go to school, or the early morning lessons. This also ensures they rest fully after each day at school.