Tips For Helping Your Kids Fall and Stay Asleep

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Sleep. It’s such a simple thing. But, when you have kids, your sleep patterns definitely start to change. Before you were a parent, you could get all of the sleep you wanted. Eight hours a night used to be a goal easily met. With you have children, though, this task becomes a lot harder. From birth through their teenager years, kids can throw a wrench into the sleeping habits of their parents. But, solving this issue isn’t as hard as most of us think. There’s usually a reason for your child failing to sleep. Any number of things can keep someone awake.

It’s important to understand why sleep is important to a child. There is no shortage of credible theories floating around. Studies do shoe that humans perform much better after they’ve had the right amount of sleep. For a growing child, the right amount of sleep could be anywhere from eight to twelve hours each night. Without this, they could struggle to do their school work or even develop properly. And, so, sleep is critical to children. And, it’s an area worth working on if you've got a little one struggling to either fall asleep or stay asleep.

Before They Go To Sleep

To start, you have to consider the time before they sleep. In most cases, this is the time which will disturb their sleep the most; if it isn’t handled correctly. The food people eat plays a big part in their sleep. Certain foods, like sugary and fatty foods can make it much harder to fall asleep. However, something filled with starch could make it easier. Regardless of what they eat, though, it’s important to make sure that your child doesn’t eat anything prior to two hours of going to bed. Instead, they should have their dinner much earlier, to give them a chance to burn off their energy. In this cases, it’s usually excess energy which will cause the issue.

Next, it’s time to think about the entertainment your child will consume before they sleep. The human body uses light as an indicator of when it should go to sleep. As it gets darker, a hormone called melatonin is released. Unfortunately, though, this hormone can be disrupted by one of the most common devices out there; the humble digital display. Flat screen TVs, mobile phones, and computers all use screens like this. So, for at least twenty minutes before they sleep, they should be kept away from electronic devices.

Although it may not seem it, children work very well when a routine is established. Going to bed is often hurt when this routine is broken. So, as the final step to ensure success, you should create a very clear set of jobs they have to do before sleeping. For example, having them turn their devices off at 9 PM would give them plenty of time to brush their teeth and prepare for the next day. Along with this, they have to get into bed at the same time each day. So, if these tasks take half an hour, have them start on them half an hour before bedtime. To ensure success, these routines should only change when they have to.

While They Sleep

A lot of parents end up getting cheap, flimsy beds for their kids. And, of course, this makes sense. The odds are that they will break or grow out of any bed you give them before too long. But, a good night’s sleep each night is more important than a little bit of money. Thankfully, though, you don’t have to splurge on a whole new bed. Instead, you can just replace the bit that makes a difference; the mattress. When choosing a mattress, it’s important that you use resources like Slumberland and Plushbeds Eco reviews to get an idea of what’s out there. Mattresses from companies like these will be much higher quality than the options you find in places like Ikea. But, unfortunately, not a lot of people realize this. And, this results in a lot of sleepless nights for their kids.

Like adults, some children are very light sleepers and will be woken by small noises. Of course, after a short time of living with your child, you should have a good idea of how they sleep. But, even if they sleep quite heavily, it’s important to make sure they’re not being disturbed. In a lot of cases, the child themselves may not realize that it’s the TV you’re watching in a nearby room that keeps them awake. Instead, they will simply try to sleep through it. This doesn’t mean you should go to bed when they do, though. Instead, you just need to be thoughtful when consuming entertainment and moving around your home.

Along with being disturbed by you, a lot of children struggle to sleep out of fear. Of course, this fear isn't a negative thing. People are scared of the dark because of their instincts. And, children will often be found worried about things because they let their imagination run wild. Reminding you child that you’re always there for them is important. But, you can do more. A lot of parents opt to share their child’s bed with them when they are scared. You can let them know that there aren’t any monsters. And, if there were any, they would be scared of you. Night lights and other tools can also be good for night terrors.

Hopefully, this post will give you a good idea of what needs to be done when you’re struggling to get the little ones to sleep at night. Sleep is important to adults and kids alike. But, during this time, kids will be relying on you to help them with it. They can’t be solely responsible for this themselves.