Summertime: How to help your kids sleep healthfully

Summer holidays and vacations afford many of us more freedom, time for ourselves and even more importantly, the ability to sleep for as long as needed in the morning. During that period, the “early to bed, early to rise” idea often gets tucked away. Over the next couple of months, many kids won’t be required to wake up early.

However, as much as the kids may already be used to making it early out of bed, the work of getting them used to the new routine is at hand, and that is quite important, as well.  Below are a few tips to get along with the new routine and consequently getting some healthy sleep for yourself and your family.

Monitor what they eat and drink

There is usually a lot to eat during summer and enough time to eat as much as possible, at times. As much as kids need enough food to have enough energy, monitoring how much caffeine and sugar they are taking in will help their sleep.

Your child’s bed should have the right bedding

For your kids to enjoy a healthy night’s sleep, bedding should be of the appropriate weight, soft and clean. The bedding should make sleeping comfortable and convenient for your child. This will also help them look forward to getting into their bed each night.

Emphasize the importance of sleep

During summer, things are far less structured. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that school-aged children get between 9 and 11 hours of sleep every night. The family can get involved in so many vacation activities which may keep everyone awake at night, but it is important that you, as parents, emphasize how important it is that they should get to bed. It might help to reiterate the benefits of sleep and what the lack of enough sleep can do to a person’s health.

Create a routine and adhere strictly to it

It is incredibly easy for us, humans, to develop habits. Some of these, such as sleeping, are quite beneficial, most especially for children. There should be a pre-bedtime ritual that the children observe every day of the school year. This routine can be adapted, but there should still be a consistent routine during the summer holidays. It will make it easy when they resume school to adjust to the new situation.

Control your kids’ sleep environment

You should set up your children’s bedroom in a way that will allow them to fall asleep as soon as they get tucked into bed. The lights should be turned off, and the thermostat turned down. It has been proven that the darker a room is, the better sleep a person gets. It is helpful to have a temperature between 65-68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make sure their sleep zone is healthy

A comfortable sleep area is one with a great mattress. For your children to sleep healthily, ensure their mattress is allergen-free, comfortable and supportive. Make use of mattress protectors or encasements to block allergens and to also prevent your child from ruining the mattress while sleeping.

Summer Summary

Summer should be a time to relax. While adjusting sleeping patterns could be a lot of work, it will pay off with time. In fact, some studies have shown that good sleep as a child or teen pays off in a healthier life later on. There are a lot of benefits that come with sleeping well and getting your children used to it will be of immense benefits to them throughout their lives.