Helpful Hints on How to Improve Your Kid’s Sleeping Habits

Are you concerned about your young one’s sleeping habits?  One of the most alarming problems parents are reporting with their children is child-sized sleep deprivation.  Children can easily develop chronic sleep difficulties because of bad parental sleeping habits, stress, a noisy environment, too much late-night TV or other negative factors.

School children require between nine and twelve hours of sleep everyday.  It is important to do the math and figure out how many hours of sleep your child is getting and if these sleeping habits are enough.  Be observant as to whether or not your child is falling asleep right away or tossing and turning for a while.  Check up on him or her (quietly) to make sure he is not repeatedly waking up.  Check with school officials to make sure your child is not dosing off in class.  Such inappropriate sleeping habits might indicate nighttime insomnia.

Insist upon a consistent time for bed each night.  Interact with your son or daughter in a loving way so that you can help relieve any lingering stress.  Try to plan bedtime a few minutes before your child starts to wind down.  Take note of the approximate time he or she seems tired and prepare the bed early.  Add a hot water bottle wrapped in a soft cover if the bed is cold… your child will love diving into the ‘pre-heated’ bed! Remember, waiting around a while will give the young one a “second wind” and it will be harder to fall asleep later.

Avoid over-stimulation such as television, video games and the Internet before bedtime, as these create poor sleeping habits.  Lastly, try this subtle experiment to improve sleeping habits: Start the day fresh with bright lights.  Keep the sunlight in during the afternoon.   When evening comes around, start dimming the lights of the house as much as possible.  This subtle lighting change is signaling your child’s brain that nighttime is approaching.  Good sleeping habits come easier when there is preparation.

A young boy or girl needs healthy sleeping habits.  Make every effort to make sure bedtime is a peaceful and relaxing time.  This will help keep your family’s sleeping habits healthy.