5 Ways to Help Your Kids Have Healthy Sleep Habits

Posted on Oct 19, 2016 | 0 comments

Getting enough sleep can mean the difference between a bad day and a good one! Every parent knows this to be true, yet sadly most of us (and our children) are not getting enough of it. An estimated 50-70 million people are not getting enough sleep currently in the US!

Having suffered from insomnia for the better part of my life, I have done a ton of research on sleep. Not only reading about it, but trying almost every solution out there. You can read my best Tips To Get Sleep where I explain just how important sleep is to each and every one of us.

As a parent, I know how important sleep is for my children so I have always been very conscious to make sure they get enough of it. Which, honestly was not easy in the beginning! Neither of my children were good sleepers for the first 4-5 years of their lives.

I thought I would be just fine with that since I am a horrible sleeper myself… but it was way more difficult than I thought it would be! Let’s just say it was a sharp learning curve in just how much (or little I should say) sleep I did get, versus what I discovered I needed!

How Much Sleep Do You And The Children Need?

I made this little, easy to read chart up so you can see the recommended amount of sleep per each age group. For the downloadable, printable version, click sleep-sheet.

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Now that you know how much you all should be getting, here are my 5 easy ways to help your children have healthy sleep habits.

5 Ways To Help Your Kids Have Healthy Sleep Habits

Incorporate some sleep friendly foods into their diets and make sure they get enough exercise, teach them to enhance sleep while they are awake! Sleep is a hormone dependent process, so if you are not feeding your body properly and using it enough, your body will not be able to produce enough of the sleep hormones at the right times. Foods that will help their (and your) body produce the sleep hormones are coconut oil, free-range eggs, avocados, pasture raised meats, organic butter, vegetables and high nutrient fruits. Working these into their daily diet as well as making sure to get some form of exercise everyday will help everyone sleep better at night. Stretching and doing some light yoga before bed is a great way to do this.
Talk to them and lead by example! Explain to them how important sleep is and why they need it. Kids are fascinated, especially at a young age and are sponges. Empowering them with the knowledge of just how much goes on while they are sleeping and the benefits of enough sleep will enable them to make good choices… to choose sleep! Click this link to read exactly what is going on while you sleep.
Create their ideal sleep environment. If your children are old enough, involve them with this as much as possible, choosing a soft, sleep promoting color for their room, a comfortable mattress with good quality, natural sheets and blankets and arranging it to their liking. Help younger children to choose a few stuffed animals to keep them safe all night. Find a nightlight that works for them (we use these amazing Himalayan salt lamps, they are perfect nightlights and help keep the air pure), making sure to keep as little electronics in their rooms as possible. Click the link for more on creating an ideal sleep environment.
Adopt a nighttime routine and stick to it. Consistency is key in a lot of aspects of raising kids and sleep is no different. Do your best to stick to the same time each night to start the bedtime process. Everyone’s nighttime process may vary so try a few things and see what works best for your kids. The important thing is to do the same thing at the same time each night. With consistency, it won’t be long before their bodies start to signal them that bedtime is approaching and the sleep process will be easier for them. Mine are asleep by 8 and we start the bedtime process around 7, 7:15 each night. Here is what we do:
1. After dinner, we play a game or watch one show together. We then do some yoga stretches outside, weather permitting, for about 10 minutes ending with a 3 minute meditation.
2. Each child takes their shower/bath while the other has a few minutes of silent reading time.
3. They brush their teeth.
4. They each pick a book and then pile on top of me as I read 2 stories to them.
5. We then turn on their sound machines and nightlights, turn off the main light and everyone gets into their beds.
6. I have about a 5 minute snuggle time with each child. This is important one-on-one time where we discuss their day or anything that is on their minds and we relax together for a few minutes. I give them a loving kiss goodnight and tell them I will see them in their dreams and then I leave them to it, peacefully.
Set up a reward system. Yes, sleep is that important for all of you! Depending upon the age of your children, coming up with some way to reward them weekly for good sleep habits is a positive boost that kids respond to. Whether it is candy, an ice cream shop visit, money towards a vacation or more to their allowance, giving this positive reinforcement will help their sleep habits become second nature.

It is so important for us to give our children the tools to have a healthy, happy life. Giving them the gift of proper sleep habits young will put them on that path to success!

Sweet dreams!

Malibu Mama Loves Xx