Establish a Healthy Bedtime Routine
Children of All Ages Sleep Better With Consistent Bedtime Rituals
Sep 2, 2008
Whether you are a detail oriented parent or someone who is more inclined to go with the flow, all children can benefit from a healthy bedtime routine. Routines help children feel secure and safe because they know what is coming next. Here are some guidelines to help you establish a healthy bedtime routine at home.
Encourage Quiet Time Before Bed
Children (and adults!) of all ages benefit from time spent quietly relaxing before going to bed. Spend 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime playing quietly with toys, reading books or other quiet activities. This can be a challenge, especially for very active kids or parents who spend all day at work and want to play and roughhouse with their children before they go to sleep, but the payoff is an easier bedtime for all.
Order and Consistency Make a Routine Work
When you're ready to shift from quiet time to bedtime, it's time to set your chosen bedtime routine in motion. Whether you choose to brush teeth before putting on pyjamas or after doesn't matter much, as long as you do it in the same order every night. To help yourself and your child remember what order your bedtime rituals will be performed you can create a picture chart or list and post it nearby. Older children benefit from healthy bedtime routines as much as younger children do, as age appropriate bedtimes and a good night's sleep help children pay attention in school and improve behaviour overall.
Change Routines Slowly
If you decide that you'd like to change your bedtime routine, change one part of the routine at once. Too many changes can be disorienting for children, so don't try to wean from a bottle and move your toddler to a big bed at the same time. Wean from the bottle first, and when that is well established, introduce the new bed. It can take some time to introduce new elements to a bedtime routine, but sticking with it means the change will be accepted faster. Going back and forth between the old and new routine will extend the transition time.
Be Aware of Sleep Associations
Sleep associations are those things that a child usually has while falling asleep, such as a favorite blanket, a pacifier, or a parent nearby. According to Marc Weissbluth, author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child [Random House, 1999. ISBN - 10:0449004023], parents should avoid nursing, rocking or cuddling babies and children to sleep because they will want to have this sleep association repeated each time they wake in the night. Whether or not you agree with Weissbluth, an awareness of sleep associations will help you develop healthy bedtime routines that both you and your child benefit from. Remember that even if your baby needs to be rocked or nursed to sleep, that sleep association can be modified as your child grows and matures.
As with all household routines, bedtime routines will occasionally fall by the wayside. Holidays and birthday parties only come a few times a year, so don't panic if you can't always stick to your child's usual bedtime routine. By being consistent with quiet time before bed, bedtime routines and sleep associations in daily parenting, the occasional disruption won't have too many effects. Have a good night, and sweet dreams.
