5 Ways To Help Your Child Get A Good Night’s Sleep

A healthy amount of sleep is very important in the lives of children for their mind and body development. Too much sleep can make your child feel drowsy during the day, while too little sleep can affect their mental and physical development. Therefore, knowing the right amount of sleep your child should get is very important.

The amount of sleep children need depends on their age. For new-born babies, 11-18 hours of sleep is ideal for their proper wellbeing. For toddlers (1-2 years), 9-12 hour sleep is sufficient. Pre-schoolers or school going children should have 9-12 hours of sleep.

As a parent, it’s our responsibility to ensure that our children get a healthy and sound sleep without any interruptions. Therefore, it is very important to put in some efforts to help them get it.

Below I’ve compiled 5 effective tips that can help your child get a good night’s sleep –

1. Plan a bedtime routine

Whether you have an infant, toddler, pre-schooler, or preteen, establishing a bedtime routine is important encourages good sleep habits and better performance in the school. It also cues your child it’s time to prepare for bed.

A bedtime ritual includes all those things and tasks that you do with your child before you put him to bed such as switching off all electronic devices, taking a bath, brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, changing the diapers, reading a bedtime story, etc. A predictable bedtime routine calms your baby and helps him drift off to a peaceful sleep.

Here are some tips that you must keep in mind while creating an effective bedtime routine – 

• Start creating a bedtime ritual when your baby is very young.
• Your bedtime routine should be age-appropriate, i.e., as your child gets older, his bedtime routine will change over time. 
• Keep your bedtime routine short i.e., for about 15-30 minutes. 

2. Soundproof the baby’s nursery

This is another effective tip that can help your baby to get a sound sleep at night. There are various types of noises that can disturb your child’s sleep. Such noises can be due to noisy neighbours, barking dogs, or noise of vehicles on the roads.  

If your child’s room is not quite enough, it would be very difficult for him to have a proper sleep. Therefore, it is very important to soundproof or reduce the noise coming into your baby’s room. Soundproofing the nursery will also prevent the sound of your baby’s cry from disturbing your neighbours. 

Here are some ideas that might help to soundproof your baby’s nursery – 

• Install soundproof doors and windows
• Fit soundproof curtains
• Bring in heavy furniture
• Get a white noise machine
• Use thick textured wallpaper 

See also, Soundproofnation.com

3. Create a sleep-friendly environment 

Design your baby’s nursery or room in such a way that it is conducive for healthy sleep. Having an optimal sleep environment for your kids can solve some sleep issues to a great extent. 

Here are some important steps that can help you create a sleep-friendly environment – 

• Use blackout shades or curtains to prevent moonlight or streetlights from seeping into the room. 
• Switch off all the lights that may disturb your child. 
• Make sure your child’s room has a right and comfortable temperature. It shouldn’t be too hot or too cold. In the winter, make sure that there are no gaps from where the breeze can come in. On the other hand, during a hot day, turn on the fan to keep the room cool.
• Put a white noise machine in your baby’s nursery as it produces a monotonous sound which negates all the noises coming from outside. 

4. Unplug all electronic devices

This is one of the most effective ways that can help to induce sound sleep. The blue light emitted from these electronic devices can not only ruin the sleeping pattern of your children but can also damage their still-developing eyes and brain. Therefore, for a good-quality sleep, unplug all the electronic devices such as TV, mobile, laptops, and video games at least 2 hours before bedtime. Also, make sure that there is no computer your TV in your child’s room. 

Melatonin and serotonin are sleep hormones that are highest when a person is very sleepy and tired. Exposure to electronic devices can decrease their production keeping your child awake for few extra hours. 

5. Encourage your child to do some physical exercise 

A child will fall asleep easily and quickly if he gets some physical exercise every day at least three hours before bedtime. Physical exercise not only develops their mind and body but also makes them feel tired by the end of the day and it will be easier for them to drift off to a peaceful sleep. 

Engage your kids in various games or take them for a walk. But, make sure that your child is not overly active and engaged in that exercise as it will affect their sleeping patterns. 

Putting your kids into bed can be very challenging, especially for the new parents. Therefore, with the above-mentioned tips, you can easily establish an ideal sleeping schedule for your child and, thus help them rest well during the night.