If you have kids, the most stressful part of your day may come at the very end. The chaos and stress of bedtime are often only matched by the calm that comes after bedtime when your kids fall asleep. Unfortunately, this pre-sleep craziness can affect your children’s sleep, as their brains seek to recover from and make sense of the events of their day. Plus, all that stress makes it difficult for you as a parent to unwind and enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet. To help make your bedtimes more successful, then, here are a few tips to help you master the end of your child’s day.
Practice Makes Perfect
When you do something new, it can be quite stressful and unsettling until you become comfortable with the process of doing that new thing. The same is true for kids and bedtime. As with most other areas of their lives, kids thrive on routine. If you do the same things in the same ways at the same time, every night, your kids will know exactly what to expect, rather than getting antsy from new and unusual occurrences.
That’s why it’s important to have a specific order of events that take place each evening and that you stick to that order as much as possible. As your kids get older, this definite direction will enable them to be more independent during bedtime, dialing down the stress even further.
Set For Success
Even as you work to protect your child’s mental comfort by establishing a definite routine, it’s still extremely important to protect your child’s physical comfort as they get ready for bed. Set your thermostat to a comfortable average temperature for everyone in the home, and dress more or less warmly those whose bodies have natural variations in temperature. Important, too, is to limit light in your child’s bedroom, especially during the summer when the sun usually goes to bed after your child does. You’ll also want to make sure your child has a comfortable mattress to ensure they sleep well all through the night.
A Buddy (Or Two)
When it comes to sleep, it’s important to take into account individual differences that can make or break a successful bedtime. For example, it can be easy for us as adults to dismiss the idea of a security object, “buddy,” “stuffy,” or whatever objects given to provide comfort are called in your home. Don’t discount the soothing power of these objects, however, and make sure they are always ready to be used when bedtime comes.
Guard Your Sleep
The best way to teach your children anything they need to learn is through the example you set. This holds true for bedtime. If you make bedtime a priority in your life, your child will make it a priority in theirs, as well. This means that you work to limit exceptions to the bedtime schedule and routine, even when you’re on vacation or are having a tough day. When your child sees that bedtime is non-negotiable, they’ll be more likely to work with you to make it successful.
Be Flexible
As with most things as you raise children, the main key is to be flexible. Of course, as already mentioned, it’s important to make bedtime as important and inflexible as possible. However, unexpected events are going to occur, and it’s important that you keep your cool when that happens. Maintaining your cool and “rolling with the punches” will save you a lot of stress and ensure your children’s stress levels remain low, as well. This will, in turn, help everyone have a better bedtime and a better night’s sleep.
Author Bio: Paige Jirsa– I work with Top10.Today, a shopping comparison site, where we strive to help consumers find the best quality and priced products.
