Getting children to sleep isn’t easy. Many innately hate laying their heads down until they’ve expended all of their energy. Worse, modern devices and distractions seem designed to keep kids awake at night. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to handle a reluctant child or toddler, from wellements melatonin supplements to nighttime rituals.
Prioritizing Downtime For Your Child This Summer
Toddlers and young children are very sensitive to their environments. If you and your family have been busy well into the night, your child may pick up on your energy and emulate it in themselves.
To set a good example, take breaks before bedtime. Make sure everyone in your home is settled, and create a calm environment. Whether you spend this time reading, relaxing, or quietly working is up to you — just make sure your kid feels calm and comfortable.
Letting Them Use Up Extra Energy Before Bed
The human body is a precisely tuned machine. Over millions of years of evolution, it figured out exactly how much energy it needed to burn before nighttime. The modern world has made life more sedentary, but kids still need to burn calories.
Before their bedtime, allow your kids to use up energy. Let them play, run around, dance — whatever it takes. Avoid giving them food or beverages late at night, as this adds new calories to the mix.
Keeping the Thermostat Set
Just like adults, toddlers have an easier time falling asleep when ambient temperatures are cool but not cold. Periodic toddler itchy skin at night is often worse when the room is too hot. Set the thermostat to somewhere between 18°C to 22°C (65°F to 70°F).
Avoiding Excessive Screen Time and Blue Light
Just like the human body uses ambient temperatures to tell it when to sleep, it also uses light levels. Our modern world is full of bright, fluorescent lights and LCD displays, and many don’t even realize these visual pollutants are affecting their sleep.
Change your home’s light levels to reflect natural ones. At sunset, reddish light dominates and bluish rays subside. This signals to the brain that it needs to wind down for the evening. If you have dimmer switches on your lamps, turn them down. If you have computer or TV screens in common areas, turn them off. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your kids start to settle down.
Best Summer Bedtime Routine For A Good Sleep
Having a consistent routine is perhaps the most important step for getting your children to settle down. Pick a time when you want to start getting your child to bed and stick to it. Have dinner, let them burn a few calories, and lead them to their room. Tuck them in, read them a chapter of your favorite kid-friendly book, and turn off the lights. Repeat!
Good parenting isn’t easy, but it starts with great sleep. If you have a sick kid on your hands, try wellements nighttime baby cough syrup, and look for other safe and natural sleep support supplements.
