Whether school is about to begin or already started, I’m sure your family is experiencing sleeping pains. Part of the transition back to school each year relies on getting into a routine, and a big part of that routine is establishing (or re-establishing) a sleep routine.
Sleep routines are recommended during babyhood, and, hopefully, grow with children. Our baby sleep routine used to consist of changing clothes, singing songs, dancing slowly in the room, reading stories and, finally, rubbing backs for no more than 3 minutes until the baby was calmed. Over time, as the kids have grown, so have our routines. My oldest is similar to me in that he can’t wind down for bed without reading for 5-20 minutes. Middle enjoys quiet time in his room, often with a story being read to him. There are times when he’ll still ask for a quick back scratch. And Little still enjoys “kisses in the mirror” after her story each night.
But with changing summer schedules, we all know that there are times when our routines are a bit off kilter.
Bedtime routine advice from a Pediatric Sleep Expert
- Decide on an age appropriate bedtime for your child for the school year. Each day move your child’s summer bedtime 15 earlier until you reach the newly prescribed bedtime. For example, if your child’s school year bedtime will be 7:00 but you have been putting him or her to bed over the summer at 8:00, 4 days before school starts begin to move the bedtime earlier in 15 minute increments until you reach the new bedtime.
- Create a Sleep Rule Reward Chart. Choose the most important of your child’s sleep rules and write it on a chart. Only include one sleep rule at a time. Your child can help decorate his or her sleep rule chart. Take your child to a 99 cent type store and have him/her pick out a treasure chest and fill it with little rewards such as bouncy balls and erasers. Your child can help decorate the treasure chest as well. At wake up time, if your child has followed the sleep rule, s/he gets to put a sticker on the chart and choose a reward from the treasure chest. Rewards chart has proven to be very effective in working with behavioral sleep problems.
- Stay consistent, firm, confident and committed to healthy sleep for your child. With parents’ help, children can be taught good sleep habits and families can be well rested!
Bedtime routine advice from real parents
Of course, parent feedback is key as well, so I asked a few parenting bloggers for feedback on their routines, now that school is/is getting back to session.
- Know what helps your child settle down and BE CONSISTENT! -Amy, A Million Boxes, mom of teens
- Start at a minimum a week before school starts. Make all family members go to bed earlier. Look at what activities keep kids up late at night and start curtailing the use of said devices well before bedtime. Kids bedrooms can get very messy in the siummer, so do a thorough cleanup and clear out. For instance, make sure that your child’s bed, desk, and night stand is clear of junk. During the school year my kids need to do homework and reading in their bedrooms and clutter is not conducive to studying or quiet time. -Jill, Musings from Me, mom of 2 teens and a tween
- Begin bedtime routine the same exact time no matter what. My kids know that when 7:30 hits it’s time to get ready. It’s gotten so great that they tell US when it’s 7:30. It’s important for them to understand that bed time is bed time. On a side note: I wish all of my stuff was done so I could go to bed at 7:30 every night. - Candice, Fashionably Organized, mom of 2 elementary-aged kids and a preschooler
- We started the week before school started. My 11 yo has a 9:30 bedtime. At my house, she is to be fully ready and in bed by 9:15. She can either read or play a game on her iPod for 15 minutes and it’s lights out. Should she go over the bedtime, it is deducted the next night. Her homework is done as soon as she comes home, so she has the rest of the afternoon/evening to relax and unwind and play outside. -Jacqui, Single Parent Retreat, mom of a tween
image credit: Amy Bradley-Hole
© 2012, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.
Twitter: FoundtheMarbles
says:
I wish we had a bedtime routine. With all the kids activities sometimes they don’t get home until 8:00. We do homework right after school, showers when they get home from their activities with dinner somewhere in between. We try to stick with similar bed time each night for consistency.
Twitter: juliempron
says:
I know. It’s so hard. I try to have and keep a routine each afternoon/evening during the year, but every day the activities and times change. I’m working hard to keep it simple this year, but I will definitely have a rule like “no reading until EVERYTHING else is done.”
It’s the hardest thing for my two boys. The only thing left for me to do is separating them.
Twitter: FashOrganized
says:
OMGoodness! I’m honored to be part of this article. It is funny that you pit my side note in there. It made me chuckle! Great quotes and advice, thank you for sharing it, even I learned something new.
Twitter: musingsfromme
says:
Julie, thank you so much for including me. Great article by the way!
Twitter: juliempron
says:
thanks for the great comment, Jill!
Twitter: hchybinski
says:
Great tips – this is on my “do better this year” list, so I’ll be incorporating some of your ideas.
Hillary
Bedtime audiobooks!! There’s lots of great sites to get them, but we use this site a lot because all the stories are free and original. Here’s the link if anyone is interested. http://www.twirlygirlshop.com/moral-stories-for-kids