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Five Tips To Improve Your Childs Bedtime

Bedtime is one of those areas that tend to be problematic for families with young children.

Whilst parents expect to have sleepless nights with a young baby, it can be a shock to the system when this issue continues, as the child gets older. Before long if things don’t change then it can begin to put unnecessary strain on the whole family unit.

We all need our beauty sleep in order to function effectively during the day and remain healthy, so if you are having trouble getting a proper night’s sleep, hopefully the following tips will help!

POSITIVE ATTENTION

It can be very hard to juggle life as a parent, with life pulling us in so many different directions. Sometimes the day is over before we know it and it is not always easy to fit in as much one to one attention with our children as we would like.

You may notice your child dragging out the entire process at bedtime; all of a sudden, they have a problem and need your attention. “I’m thirsty, I’m hungry, I need…”

The key word here is attention! Children will often go out of their way to keep you with them that little bit longer, simply because they enjoy being with you.

By increasing the amount of positive time you spend with your child during the day, you may be able to alleviate the prolonged bedtime scene and making it an altogether more peaceful affair.

PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR BEDTIME

In addition to putting on pyjamas, there are many other ways to prepare your child for bedtime.

Creating a calm, screen free environment for the last hour of the day will help them to wind down and relax, ready for bed.

Work out what your child responds to best; soothing music, a bedtime story, cuddles and warm baths are great choices for helping your child to feel blissfully sleepy and relaxed!

AROMATHERAPY

Some essential oils can be useful to integrate into your child’s bedtime routine, but it is important to take care to use only the best quality, pure oils that are suitable for the age of the child.

As children grow older, the choice of oils you can use with them will gradually expand, but with children between the age of three months and two years old, it is best to stick with oils like Lavender, Geranium and Roman Chamomile.

There are several ways to use essential oils to promote a healthy pattern of sleep:

  • Massage – most babies and young children love to be massaged and the aroma of the oils enhances relaxation. Dilute heavily in suitable carrier oil, (the recommended dilution is between 1 and 2%).
  • Room diffuser – Take great care to ensure you choose a safe place to position your diffuser so that it presents no hazard to your child, then dilute the oil with water and allow the aroma to float through the air, calming all inhabitants within the space!
  • Bathing – place a drop or two of essential oil in a warm bath before bedtime to sooth, calm and put your child in the right mood for snuggling into bed. Try adding the oil to a fluid ounce of full fat milk before pouring it into the bath – this helps to disperse the oil evenly.

FULL TUMMIES

Children are very unlikely to sleep well if they are hungry. Introducing a bedtime snack can help to calm them and encourage a longer period of sleep.

Choose healthy snacks like bananas, cheese and crackers, or a small bowl of warm porridge; you may even find a cup of warm milk is enough to do the trick.

ROUTINES REALLY DO WORK

Creating a familiar routine at bedtime helps to trigger all of the right signals that will make bedtime a great deal easier for you and your child. Develop a routine that suits you and your family and then stick to it and before long everyone will be a lot happier and a lot more awake during the daytime!

 

September 17, 2014

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