Sleep Tight: Back to School ~ Back to Bed-Time
The importance of a bedtime routine during the back-to-school transition.
For many kids, all the fun of summer can make it tough to stick to a bedtime routine. Summer camp hours, slumber parties, and more hours of daylight — especially when the sun isn’t all the way down by bedtime — can turn into late nights and grumpy mornings when kids get too little sleep.
Even though we’re still in the height of summer, it’s never too early to start planning for the fall! Kids’ brains and bodies won’t adjust to a school-year sleep routine overnight. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Children who don’t get enough sleep have a higher risk of experiencing behavioral problems at school, as well as a more difficult time with learning.” As we approach the back-to-school season, it’s important to get kids back into a structured bedtime routine.
Having trouble turning Z’s into ABC’s? These four tricks will help your family get back to bedtime, just in time for the new school year.
1. Make it a gradual transition.
If you suddenly had to wake up an hour or two earlier, how long would it take you to get used to the new routine? Kids’ bodies and brains need time to adjust to a school schedule, so it’s not realistic to set an extreme new schedule all at once. Instead, you can slowly move bedtime back by fifteen minutes or half an hour (with an equal adjustment to wake-up time), with a few days in between each shift. By giving your kids time to adjust to the shorter shifts, they’ll have an easier time transitioning to the school-year’s schedule.
2. Turn bed into an electronics-free zone.
Clean sleep is the key to healthy rest. Electronics are one of the modern marvels that keep our brains from switching off completely when we go to bed. The glow and blue light from screens sends signals to our brains, telling us it’s still time to be awake. Keeping cell phones and tablets out of your kids beds — by establishing the hour or two before bedtime as “electronics-free” — reduces the impact of this blue light.
3. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
You can replace screen time with book time, or other electronics-free activities you and your kids can do together. Bedtime stories, breathing exercises, and baths are all great ways to help your kids unwind at the end of the day. The comfort of a favorite pair of jammies can also go a long way toward rewiring kids’ brains for bedtime! In the same way that light from electronics can send signals to your mind, the comfort of organic cotton and the routine of slipping into pajamas tells your body it’s time for bed. When you’re planning your bedtime routine, don’t forget to set a similar one for mornings!
4. Let your kids help set the rules — and stick to them.
Get your kids involved in bedtime, too! Giving your kids some power over their own choices helps them forget the parts of a new routine that they may not be too fond of. Introducing their first alarm clock? Let them choose the design! Want to make sure they brush their teeth before bed? Let them pick a new flavor of toothpaste! Plus, if your kids have outgrown last fall’s jammies, you can help them choose a new set of PJs with a pattern they can’t wait for bedtime to wear.
New Jammies was born as an environmentally responsible company offering 100% certified organic cotton and flame retardant-free children’s pajamas. Learn more at newjammies.com.