For young children, irregular sleeping hours can be problematic. Setting a regular bedtime schedule can really help children get the right amount of sleep.
It’s important to devise a routine that works for you and your child, and to stick to it, try to always keep regular sleeping hours. The same bedtime ritual each night teaches the brain to become familiar with sleep times and wake times and it programmes the brain and internal body clock to get used to a set routine.
The following tips can help prepare your child for bed:
- A warm (not hot) bath will help their body to reach a temperature where it’s most likely to rest.
- Reading a book or listening to the radio will relax their mind by distracting it from any worries or anxieties.
- Relaxation CDs work by relaxing the listener with carefully chosen words and gentle hypnotic music and sound effects.
Your child’s bedroom should be a relaxed environment. Experts say that bedrooms are strongly associated with sleep, but that certain things weaken the association. These include tablet computers, mobiles/smart phones, TVs and other electronic gadgets, light or noise, and a bad mattress or uncomfortable bed.
“It’s important to create an environment that’s favourable for sleep; the bedroom needs to be dark, quiet and tidy. It should smell fresh and be kept at a temperature of 18-24C.
If you have tried these tips, but your child keeps having problems getting to sleep or sleeping through the night, you may feel you could do with more support. You can speak to your GP or health visitor about these worries. They may refer you to a child psychologist or another expert.
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