5 Tips for Getting Kids to Sleep at Night

5 Tips for Getting Kids to Sleep at Night

Every parent knows that no child wants to go to bed when they are told to. For the kids, burning the midnight oil seems so much more fun, and staying awake is what they will do! It usually leaves you wondering – just when will they turn over and fall to sleep so you too can get some rest?! 

So, let us take the stress out of bedtime routines and restless children at night.  Here you will find five fantastic and full-proof ideas on how to get the kids to sleep at night which even includes wall stickers for kids

Avoid putting clocks in the bedroom

Some of your children may develop a tendency to check the time often when they are trying to get to sleep. This is not an uncommon occurrence even for us humans as grown adults. If we lay in bed and our mind is whirring with thoughts, usually we will take a while to nod off to sleep.

It all becomes a big psychological battle in the end and can dramatically affect our sleep patterns. The best thing to do for our kids’ however, is to not provide their rooms with any clocks, phones or tablets, etc that will display the time. As our kids grow up and learn to read the time themselves, they become smarter too. By placing the time in their rooms, the kids will realise if they are either going to bed too early or are not getting enough sleep and going to bed too late.

So do yourself a favour as a parent and avoid any ‘time telling’ or ‘time displays’ when the kids need to get to bed.

Create a comfortable and personalised bedtime environment

Forget herbal teas and hot water bottles. We think wall stickers and personalised name stickers can create a comfortable and cosy place your kids will want to settle into for the night. This is an especially good idea for your younger kids. You can make their bedroom their special place by sticking a range of their favourite colours, characters, and heroes around their walls and bed whilst they head off to sleep.

By placing your son’s or daughter’s name on their bedhead, or on the wall next to them, they will feel a real sense of belonging and calm when settling down for the night. This will become their sanctuary and personalised place to be at home. For example, your kids might want to create a jungle theme with stickers around their bedroom walls or a deep blue sea to lull them to sleep. Anything is possible, especially with the vivid imagination of a child.

If you’re having trouble finding the right kind of stickers for your kids’ room, a great place to start is online. Just make google your best friend! You should be able to find many unique and fitting name labels in Australia just by searching on the web. This goes for wall stickers too.

Affix iron-on clothing labels to pajamas to make bedtime more fun

Personalisation of your kids’ bedtime routine can really work wonders for getting them off to sleep effortlessly. It can also set up a healthy association with sleep and a great bedtime routine to be followed when they grow older. Whilst many of your kids won’t like to be told to get to sleep earlier than the adults, allow for a trade-off – in the pajama department!

Kids being kids will want to be tucked into bed and feel nice and cosy and safe every time. There is no better way to create a sense of belonging for them at home than by organising personalised pyjamas. An easy way to do this is by purchasing special iron-on clothing labels that can easily affix to their favourite bedtime clothing.

There is a range of different colours and assortments available online too. Along with looking great, personalised pajamas will also create an association with bedtime for kids so their bedtime routine won’t be so dull.

Disallow technology in the bedroom at sleep time

It is especially important to allow kids to sleep naturally and not rely on technology to get them to sleep. This has become a modern phenomenon for us as adults too. Technology can really affect us when we settle down to sleep as well as affect our quality of sleep. As our kids are still developing their own sleep cycle and a circadian rhythm at a young age, we need to give them their best chance to not ruin it when they grow older.

Here the best thing to do at bedtime is to ban the use of phones, tablets, or computers. All of these devices are very stimulating to the brain and mind before bedtime. Especially for a child’s growing brain, we all know as parents limiting screen time is important.

If any sort of technology is needed, make only one exception – and that is to use a music player that is far out of reach from your sleeping child. This is because many children find it very therapeutic to listen to calming music before bedtime and it can really help get them to sleep. Just make sure your music device is kept high out of reach from curious hands during the night.

Ensure enough natural light before bedtime

A child’s circadian rhythm and sleep cycle are very important. It dictates when a child will rise from sleep and when they will need to sleep. This too includes ensuring your child gets enough natural light during the day to help regulate their sleeping pattern. If your child doesn’t get adequate sleep – eg, waking at the right time and sleeping at the right time – this can affect their growth and sleep hygiene. So, abiding by natural light times will help most parents to know when their child should be resting.

Ensuring that your child wakes naturally when it begins to get light outside in the morning, is just as important as when they fall to sleep at a suitable time during the night-time. As a rule of thumb, don’t allow your child to sleep in too long or stay awake too late. This will shift their sleep cycle and give you more grief as a parent trying to wake them or put them to bed when it’s bedtime.

A good night's sleep is essential for their health and well-being. By following these tips, you can help ensure that your child gets a good night's sleep.