Now that summer time’s coming to a close, you’re probably gearing up for the dreaded early morning wake-up to get your kids prepped and ready for school. Luckily, we’ve gathered some of the top sleeping tips for children who might be used to sleeping in more than they are waking to the sound of an alarm clock.
According to Dr. Sonal Malhotra, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor University, ‘kids who have insufficient amounts of sleep are likely to have decreased alertness and productivity’.
Sleep is then just as important as diet or play-time for developing children. From finding a great mattress for kids to sleep comfy on, to setting a schedule that doesn’t change often, here are ways you can ensure your children are getting better sleep.
Keeping Your Kid’s Bedroom Comfy
Finding the best kids mattress and making sure your child’s bedroom has been set up for a great night’s sleep is the first step towards correcting a faulty sleep schedule. Finding the best mattress for kids may sound simple enough, but this can change depending on how much trouble your child finds falling asleep at night.
A great kids mattress is going to strike the right balance between support and comfort. It will also be the right material for your child. Memory foam tends to be a great base material for those seeking a comfortable yet supportive kids mattress.
The other reason memory foam is a great material for kids mattresses is because the best of the range tend to come with a wide variety of other features that make them the ideal choice.
Regardless of if you opt for memory foam or not, the best kids mattresses should be hypoallergenic, washable, and importantly, temperature regulated. The reason this is so important is that a lot of children tend to be hot sleepers, which means a kids mattress that traps heat is not going to be a comfortable fit in the long run.
Setting Up Healthy Practices For Better Sleep
Implementing healthy sleep hygiene practices will make better sleep a lot easier for your children. This includes setting a bed time and having a wae-up goal at least two weeks before school starts that eases them into a new, adjusted sleep schedule.
Keeping a consistent sleep schedule will allow your children to shift their sleep cycle into a well practiced habit, and will ensure they get tired and wake up around the same times naturally every day.
It’s also going to be important to limit your screen times before bed. This means no devices at least one hour before bedtime, and a healthy replacement habit your kids can engage in instead. Activities such as reading a book can be a great and entertaining alternative that your children can do in bed as they prepare to wind down for the night.
The Importance Of A Solid Sleep Routine For Children
Poor sleep affect’s a person in every avenue of their wellbeing, whether that’s mental, physical, or even emotional. For children, sleep is even more crucial, and imparting the value of a consistent sleep routine plays a vital part in accomplishing this.
Making sure your children are getting better sleep, be that through the best mattress for kids you can find or by instilling some discipline in the form of a bedtime, is going to pay off majorly in both of your lives.
Remember that good sleep practice start with yourself: your kids will start understanding the importance of better sleep just by observing the value you treat your own sleep with, so that’s a great place to start.
