Sleep Hygiene and Bedtime Battles

Parenting SolutionsBoredom BustersSchool Holidays
Written By Giggling Goats
Young girl sleeping in her bed cuddling a plush toy for comfort.

Most children experience difficulties with bedtime during various stages of their development. Whilst this is entirely normal, it doesn’t diminish the challenges and stress that bedtime can cause, particularly at the end of the day when everyone is low on energy (and patience).

Let’s be honest, conjuring up extra patience in the evening to manage bedtime battles isn’t easy. So, we’ve pulled together some suggestions to help make your child’s bedtime more restful and less stressful for everyone.

Sleeping Environment

Creating an optimal sleeping environment for your child involves having a quiet, cool and darkened room with limited distractions. This requires some preparation and maintenance, but goes a long way to helping your child succeed at bedtime.

If achieving this ideal environment isn’t always possible, such as when siblings share rooms, there are still plenty of ways to create a restful atmosphere. Staggering bedtimes to allow one child to settle to sleep before their sibling goes to bed can reduce disturbances. Including white noise or other subtle background sounds can block some of the noise that could be disruptive to sleep.

Maintaining a dark room can also be tricky depending on what time the sun is setting. We highly recommend blockout curtains which have worked wonders with our kids, although depending how dark the room is (and depending on your child’s level of comfort with the dark) a subtle nightlight could be a good idea.

Don’t forget to consider the temperature of the room, as a cool room is optimal for sleep.

Lastly, try and ensure your child sees their bedroom as a safe, comfortable and relaxing place to be. Avoid sending your child to their bedroom as a punishment.

Consistency and Routine

Consistency is key when it comes to successfully establishing a bedtime routine. A predictable routine provides a sense of security for your child and enables the body to wind down for sleep. Activities that signal to our bodies that it’s time to relax include reading, breathing exercises, listening to quiet music or having a warm bath or shower. Maintaining a consistent bedtime each night and wake time the next morning (or at least limited variance with these times), even on weekends, is important to reinforce the routine.

It may take some trial and error to find what makes your child feel calm and sleepy, and which sleep and wake times are suitable, too. We find it useful to jot down some notes to record sleep times, wake times, pre-bed activities and the level of success to identify patterns with what worked or not.

Screen Time Limits

This is a big one. We know screen time can be overstimulating for kids and sends signals to a child’s brain to stay awake. So, ensure no screen related activities at least 1 hour before bed, although the longer the better. Remove any devices from your child’s bedroom and try to lead by example by limiting your time looking at your phone or checking emails during their bedtime routine, too. Explain to your child the importance of resting their bodies and minds before sleep.

Calming Activities

While you should steer clear of high-intensity exercise before bed, there are some physical activities that may be effective in settling your child before bed. Activities that involve elements of pushing or pulling, or proprioceptive activities, are shown to help regulate the body.

Proprioceptive is the body’s sense and awareness of it’s own position, movement and spatial orientation. Similarly to the receptors in our eyes that make us see, proprioception allows us to sense where our body parts are through receptors in our joints and muscles. Proprioceptive activities provide sensory input, but also help expend excess energy which can send ‘calming signals’ to the brain and make it easier for children to settle. Some activities appropriate for bedtime that aren’t too active or stimulating include:

  • Pushing: Your child can push a large, heavy box or container around on the floor (perhaps to pick up toys). Other ideas include chair or wall push-ups, squeezing a stress ball or crab walking.

  • Pulling - Affix a stretchy resistance band or small rope to something, like a door knob, so your child can pull on it. Or, help your child wheelbarrow walk across the room a few times.

  • Deep Pressure: Give your child some gentle squeezes and massage their muscles. They may also find it calming to curl up into a ball with a blanket wrapped over them or sit with a weighted toy or weighted blanket,

Experts recommend engaging in these types of activities for 10-20 minutes at the beginning of the bedtime routine. Children will respond differently to the different forms of sensory input, so if you’re trying these activities for the first time, doing so outside bedtime is a good idea.

Cuddles! 

Bedtime offers a perfect opportunity to connect with your child and provide them with your undivided attention. Apart from strengthening your bond, spending this time with your child will help them feel secure, content and safe before settling to sleep. If your child struggles when you leave, try strategies to help reduce their anxiety, such as including separation-themed bedtime stories, leaving them for short periods and returning to check on them or leaving a special blanket or plush toy with them.

Sometimes, even with all of the above in place, a child may still have difficulties falling or staying asleep. This is also perfectly normal and may just require some additional patience while they navigate their feelings.

If your child experiences prolonged issues with sleep, or you have concerns about your child’s sleep patterns or any underlying issues, we recommend seeking professional advice.

Giggling Goats
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