Are you struggling to get your kids to sleep well? Sometimes sipping a glass of hot milk is not enough to get your child relaxed and ready for bed. If you’re in need of a strategy to help your little ones get a good night’s sleep, try one (or a combination) of these effective tips:
Soothe Their Senses
During a massage, essential oils are rubbed into your skin to make you feel more relaxed and ready to sleep thereafter. The soothing smells of essential oils are no different for children.
The gentle aromas filling the air will naturally make them feel more relaxed, and the more relaxed they feel, the better they will sleep. Find thebest aroma diffuser online and use it to enhance the smell and overall mood in your home.
You can even buy specific essential oils that are made for the purpose of enhancing sleep. These sleep oils often feature a blend of lavender, sweet marjoram, and bergamot which are all known to have a calming effect.
Establish a Bedtime Routine
One of the reasons why children become crabby at bedtime is because they have no set bedtime.
If you are constantly changing your child’s sleeping routine from earlier to later and vice versa, you’re not doing anything to help the cause of getting them to enjoy a better night’s sleep.
Set a specific time for bed and allow your child to sleep at that exact time every day. Every night before the designated sleep time, read your child a bedtime story.
Establishing a routine from the onset pays off in the long run and helps you know precisely when everything needs to be done. Your child’s body will soon fall into the rhythm, making bedtime an easier thing to deal with.
Though you may know to avoid coffee and tea, it’s important to note that many chocolates, candies, and sodas contain significant amounts of caffeine. From later in the afternoon, try to avoid any sort of caffeinated or overly sugary treats so your child doesn’t get unwanted energy just before bedtime.
Ensure Your Child Feels Comforted and Safe
Children tend to toss and turn or feel uncomfortable in bed if they are scared. Try to ensure that your child doesn’t watch any scary movies before bed. When you tuck them away in bed, it’s important to let them know that you are only a call away should they need you.
Of course, your child should be accustomed to sleeping in the darkness so that when you switch off the lights, they will feel comfortable and safe while sleeping in sheer darkness.
To further support their circadian rhythm, it’s helpful to expose children to natural light during the day and darkness at night. Taking away bright distractions like smartphones or tablets will help with this while ensuring your child can focus on the act of sleeping rather than finishing “just one more” level of a game.
Reduce Daytime Naps
The more mini naps your child takes during the day, the less likely it is that they will be tired at night. With this in mind, it can be helpful to limit the number of daytime naps your child takes. This strategy is especially important for children five years old and over.
You need to get your five-year-old child accustomed to staying awake all day and then sleeping well at night in preparation for the routine of school days that are soon to come.
Arm yourself with these tips, and your child should soon be drifting off to dreamland with ease.
