Top Tips For A Better Bedtime

A recent survey conducted by Blinds 2 Go as part of their research into the home life of families across the UK has revealed that 29% of parents find bedtime to be the most stressful part of the day, closely followed by shopping at 26% and travelling at 23%.

I’m quite shocked by this as bedtime has always been a quiet and calm affair in our house. We established a strict bedtime routine with the boys from a young age and although i know there are parents who dislike the idea of routine, personally i think as far as bedtime is concerned a routine is pretty much essential to get most toddlers to wind down after an exciting day. Obviously i’m no expert but after 3 years of this parenting lark i’ve found that when you follow a set pattern every night, children quickly come to appreciate the consistency and predictability so feel more relaxed. The more relaxed they are, the more likely they’ll go to bed easily and fall asleep quickly.

Here are my top tips for a better bedtime:

Set a bed’time’

Set regular times for children to go to bed and stick with them, even on weekends. If you let them go to sleep at whatever time they want, or you let them stay up late regularly, they won’t be able to get used to the schedule because there won’t be one. You can tell that children are getting enough sleep when they fall asleep within 15 minutes of going to bed and wake up easily in the morning.

Wind down

Toddlers and young children are busy all of the time, there’s so much for them to learn and see and do that they always want to be in on the action. Long before their head hits the pillow, they will need to start the process of winding down their body and mind. That means no caffeine, sugar, sweets, video games, iPad, running around etc. for at least an hour before bedtime. Instead think gentle play, reading, puzzles or talking to your children about their day. During this time i usually let the boys have a glass of water/milk each and a small snack to help keep their bodies fuelled through the night. Nothing fancy, just healthy options like breadsticks, crackers or a piece of fruit.

Establish a routine

Children love routine, they thrive on it and it works so it’s important to establish a good bedtime routine for babies and toddlers as soon as possible. What you choose to include in the routine is entirely up to you but in general it should include everything your child needs to do before going to sleep. I will usually bath the boys around 6pm, put their pjs on, brush their teeth and then bring them downstairs to watch In The Night Garden on tv. Once that’s finished we cuddle up together in my bed to read a story and sing Twinkle Twinkle, then Harry gets put in his cot and Riley in his bed. Both get goodnight kisses and ‘i love yous’ and that’s it. By 7-7.30pm they’re both usually sound asleep.

Work as a team

Don’t do it alone. Both parents need to discuss and agree on a sleep strategy for their child and work together as a team to implement it consistently and successfully. Work out a game plan together and stick to it otherwise you can’t expect your child to learn or change their behaviour.

Provide the right sleeping environment

Keep the room dark where possible or at least aim for low lighting – my boys don’t have issues with the dark but i do have small nightlights in both of their rooms. If your child needs music to sleep go with soothing lullabies. Although he sleeps fine now, when Riley first came home from his 6 week stay in hospital, he was so used to the hustle, bustle and noise of NICU that the only way i could get him to settle at bedtime was to play him classical music.

Remember that children sleep better in a room that is cool, but not cold. For optimal comfort, i believe a good rule of thumb is to dress your child as you would dress yourself, keeping in mind that younger children often kick off covers during the night. Harry is 18 months and a right wriggler in his sleep so we tend to have him in a sleeping bag most nights at the moment, obviously this wouldn’t be so much of an issue during the warmer Summer months.

Do you have any top tips for bedtime? What do you think is the most stressful part of parenting?

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