Sleep is essential for mental growth as well as physical growth. We have spent many sleepless nights pondering over the dreamland of sleep. Sleep is especially essential for children. The children have to be tamed into an ideal sleeping schedule for the children since their early childhood. A child needs about 11-12 hours of sleep which becomes difficult to incorporate once they start school. Children also want to be up all night sitting in their forts, watching movies, and munching on popcorn.
As parents, you will understand the importance of sleep, and may wonder how to maintain it? I have listed some tips for you that you can follow for getting your child into a routine bedtime. The regular and plenty of sleep will let the child’s neurons grow, and their health will thrive as well. Without a night’s rest, they are more likely to throw temper tantrums, get frustrated easily, and even develop mental disorders related to hyperactivity.
Read on, and you will find how you can coax your child in following an early bedtime.
Tips for getting a child to follow a sleeping schedule:
1. Communication and examples
Your child will understand the importance of sleep once you sit by him or her and explain it. You can also set an example of sleeping early by going to bed early yourself. Make a strict rule regarding the timings of the wake-up and sleeping time for everyone.
2. Routine
Your child’s eyes will grow heavy once their body clock is adjusted to sleeping at the same time every day. Set them a rough schedule for playtime, mealtime, study time, and sleep time. Their body clock will help them fall asleep.
3. Physical activities
Encourage your child to play outside than being stuck in front of a screen with a controller in their hand. The psychical activities will exhaust them by the end of the day, and they will adhere to the best sleeping schedule for kids easily. This will also ensure that they eat regularly and healthy.
4. Screen time
If you read books on the ideal sleeping schedule for kids, they will all mention the importance of limiting screen time. 30-60 minus before bed, restrict them from using the screen. This will prevent dark circles under their eyes. They are also more likely to sleep if they aren’t exposed to the harsh glare of the screen.
5. Environment
Every parent wishes that their child will follow the bed-time routine for kids that they set. If you are adamant about strict adherence, then you can create an environment that will help the children sleep. You can have the baby’s room filled with stars on their ceiling. They starts will light in the dark. They can also have a monitor that will play calming sounds of the waves, air, birds chirping, etc.
6. Toys and stuffed animals
When you put your kid to bed, store away their toys and soft toys. Limit them to having one soft toy at a time on the bed. If the bed is filled with toys and games, it will feel more like playtime than sleep time.
Maintaining the sleeping habit of the kids is made easier with these tips. You can follow whatever works best for you and your child. The sleeping schedule for your child will depend on his schedule and his need for sleeping hours.