World Sleep Day: Experts Reveal How Parents Can Improve their Children’s Sleep
Getting children to stick to their regular bedtime routine can sometimes feel impossible, especially when lighter evenings hit.
And according to Google searches, many parents are struggling with ‘kids sleep’ having 691,000 searches over the past month, with more specific terms such as ‘sleep patches for kids’ up +2,600% and ‘baby sleep’ on a breakout rising +5,000%.
So in celebration of World Sleep Day which occurs on Friday 14th March, we spoke with the team over at JoJo Maman Bébé as they partnered with sleep experts Jenna Wilson and Dave Gibson to provide some sleeping hacks for parents.
Stay consistent with the same bedtime, even if it is lighter:
Dave explains: “The ideal bedtime routine would involve doing a series of relaxing rituals in the same order at the same time each night. Consistency is the key here as this conditions our brain to anticipate sleep is coming. Having a lighter meal before bedtime is also important during warmer evenings.
“With younger children, be mindful of not varying bedtimes too much – 15 minutes either way is fine. If they need to stay up later than usual, put them down for a nap during the day so they have some ‘sleep in the bank’. It’s important to maintain the schedule on weekends too.
“Sleep is essential for children’s physical and mental development in the long term. It’s also important for their emotional balance and energy levels on a day-to-day basis. During the warmer months, active children expend more energy outside, so a good night’s sleep to restore the body is more important than ever. Equally, the later sunsets can lead to a tendency for later bedtimes.”
Jenna adds: “A good routine can include some quiet play time in a dimly lit room and a story before sleep. It can be tricky to have quiet time before bed but aim for 10-15 minutes inside with the curtains closed and a lamp on so your child can start to produce melatonin (the hormone which helps sleep).
Be wary of sleep disturbances during warmer nights:
Jenna explains: “Little ones may be more prone to nightmares and night terrors when they get too hot. For nightmares, it’s best to comfort your child until they go back to sleep, whereas night terrors are different – they won’t notice you are there, so it’s best to stay with them (to ensure they are safe) until it passes. You don’t need to wake them; they shouldn’t remember it in the morning.”
Provide countdowns to prepare children for bedtime:
Dave explains: “Make sure to set up rules and boundaries for sleep times to get children used to the routine. For younger children and toddlers, give them reminders as a countdown to their agreed bedtime. This could be 2 hours to go until bedtime so all technology gets switched off in 30 minutes, followed by 1 hour to finish your game, and 45 minutes to tidy everything away, following which their regular 30-minute relaxing routine would start. It’s worth noting that different ages need different lengths of countdown.”
“Also, aim to get your child outside early in the morning. Bright sunlight helps strengthen the body clock, essential for a good night’s sleep and a dose of Vitamin D.”
Practice relaxation techniques such as breathing and meditation to diffuse excitement before bedtime:
Dave says: “Whilst anxiety and excitement are very different emotions, they both activate our sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system. The antidote to managing both at night is to teach our children how to engage their ‘rest and digest’ nervous system which can be accessed through relaxation exercises, meditation, visualisation and breathing techniques.”
Changes in mood, clumsiness and difficulty concentrating are all signs of not getting enough sleep:
Dave explains: “One of the first signs of loss of sleep is a change of mood with your child becoming grumpy, and unable to control their emotions. Difficulty concentrating as well as increased clumsiness and headaches are all signs. Younger children might even have increased bedwetting. Opt for monitoring bed and wake times to track sleep and look for signs of sleepiness in the day.”
Jenna adds: “Another sign is them regularly falling asleep and always having to wake them in the morning instead of them naturally waking up.”
To cool children down, opt for putting sheets and pillowcases in the fridge and having a spray bottle on hand for ankles and wrists:
Dave recommends: “With the heat, younger children in particular can often find it hard to get to sleep as their body temperature is more susceptible to temperature changes which can provoke nightly awakenings. To help with heat, put sheets and pillowcases into the fridge inside a plastic bag to cool them down.
“Make sure to have a spray bottle with water on hand for their ankles and wrists and opt for lightweight breathable fabrics for bedding and pyjamas such as cotton and bamboo. Cooling mattress pads are another option.”
Jenna adds: “A good hack is to put cold wet muslins on the bars of the cot whilst your little one is not in there to cool air in the room as the water evaporates. A cold compress can also be used for older children.”
For children who struggle with lighter evenings, opt for dimming lights and red bulbs:
Dave explains: “Make the environment darker inside the home by dimming the lights, putting a red bulb in or using a candle.”
Jenna adds: “A blackout blind during the lighter summer months is often a must and, if there are older children still playing outside, consider using white noise to block out those evening noises.”
Dave adds: “An option for those without blackout blinds is to fill in the cracks around curtains and blinds with tin foil to keep the light out.”
For those looking to stock up on baby sleep essentials, check out JoJo Maman Bébé’s wide range of night lights, blankets, baby sleeping bags and sleepsuits.