Most parents are aware that routine is an important part of bringing kids up – and how that routine usually flies out of the window during the school summer holidays.
Staying up later and having lie-ins can mean bedtime routines are a summer holiday casualty, and it’s likely this disruption will have a negative impact on children’s sleep.
And while that doesn’t matter too much when they have nothing to get up for, they will benefit from being well-rested for the start of the new school term, meaning their bedtime routines need to be reset.
"During the summer holidays, sleep routines might be more relaxed, and this is absolutely fine, as long as they’re getting enough sleep," says child and baby sleep consultant, Andrea Grace.
"But when children are back at school and their days become more structured, they need their bedtimes to be more regular and structured, too."
And Lisa Artis, deputy CEO of The Sleep Charity, adds: "Preparation is key when it comes to the return to school. Summer holidays are a fun and exciting time for children, but they can really disrupt bedtime routines.
"Sleep isn’t always taken seriously by young people, so we’d advise parents to build a back-to-school bedtime routine in the weeks ahead. It can take time to reset their routine, so small changes implemented over a week or so can ease your child back into a healthy sleep routine."
Here, the sleep experts outline the best ways to reset your child’s bedtime routine before they return to school…
1. A few less minutes
Artis points out that young children need around 10-11 hours sleep a night, older ones around nine. "Getting your child to sleep for this amount of time might not be an issue, especially for those with teenagers," she says. "But their bedtime might have crept up later and later over the holidays, and if that’s the case, it’s a good idea to push their bedtime back in small increments of around 15 minutes for a number of days until it’s back to normal."
2. Change their wake-up time too
If a child’s bedtime has been significantly later, as well as gradually putting them to bed earlier and earlier – starting a week or so before school begins – Grace says parents need to wake kids early, too. "Wake them up by 8am initially, but then gradually earlier until you reach the time they’d normally have to be up for school," she advises.
3. Don’t worry if their bedtime hasn’t changed much
Grace says that if your child is used to going to bed about an hour later than usual, it’s fine not to change their bedtime until near the end of the holidays. "It’s OK to only start putting them to bed at their usual time during the weekend before they go back to school," she says. "Over this weekend, wake them up at the time they’d need to be up for school."
4. Encourage outdoor play, but call them in a little earlier
If your children spend a lot of time outdoors during the holidays, that’s great because, among other benefits, one of the best ways to improve a child’s sleep at night is to expose them to daylight – especially in the morning, says Grace. She explains that the contrast of lightness in the day and darkness at night helps them produce healthy levels of melatonin, the hormone responsible for putting them to sleep at night.
However, Artis suggests calling children in from playing outside a little earlier as the new school term approaches. "This helps avoid them being overstimulated at bedtime," she explains.
"An alternative would be to go on a light walk with them in the evening to help food settle and exert any excess energy that has built up during the day – this will be especially helpful on the days they spend in front of the TV."
5. Turn screens off early
Grace says all screens should be turned off at least half an hour before bed, and TVs and computers shouldn’t be in children’s bedrooms. "Ask them to leave their phones outside the bedroom," she says, "and if they can’t, then at least switch them to night mode or silent."
Artis explains that screen-time should be limited before bed, because blue light can suppress melatonin. "Instead, try a restful activity that will use your child’s hand-eye coordination, such as colouring, fidget toys, or a jigsaw," she suggests. "A good old-fashioned bedtime story never goes amiss for the younger ones as well."
6. Watch what they have to eat and drink
Grace warns parents to make sure their children avoid fizzy drinks, energy drinks, chocolate or other foods containing stimulants – especially just before bed.
7. Get talking
Many young people don’t see the importance of sleep, says Artis, so getting on their level and having a chat about it might help them build their own healthy relationship with sleep. "Sleep helps to both rest our bodies and restore our brains, and a good night’s sleep will give them more energy to spend time with friends, be more alert on their video games, and generally feel happier," she says.
8. Never forget how important routine is
Grace says around two-thirds of children don’t get enough sleep, and getting them into a regular bedtime routine is key to improving it. "Good sleep impacts on their health, behaviour, friendships and learning," she points out. "Everyone in the family benefits when children sleep well – especially the children themselves.
"A familiar series of steps leading up to sleep, which includes a warm bath or shower immediately before getting into bed, will help them sleep well," she advises, before adding: "If everything feels like it’s going to pot, you’re not on your own – thousands of families let their children’s routines slip during the holidays. It’s a nice feeling, though, when you get that structure back."
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