Sleep Tight: Bedtime Routines Help Children Get Their Rest
Creating A Relaxing, Pampering Bedtime Routine for Kids
If your child’s bedtime routine was perfect as a baby, but you now find that your 6-year-old is suddenly challenging her normal snooze time and battling to stay up later, a little pampering action may just do the trick. A poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that nearly one third of all 6 to 11-year-olds gets eight or fewer hours of sleep a night, and the result can be everything from daytime drowsiness to a greater likelihood of obesity. Sleeping well at night is vital for human heart and brain health, regardless of age. If your child needs a little help getting to bed, make it a fun experience by turning up the pampering and self-care focus.
Letting Kids Pick their Favorite Jammies
Fashion forward kids will be delighted if you let them choose their own pajama prints and styles. Whether stripes, plain colors, or polka dots are their thing, allow them to express themselves so that they cannot wait to get into their jammies at night. To boost the softness factor, make sure these are organic. Because the production of organic cotton does not involve the use of chemicals, organic PJs are ideal for kids with allergies. Of course, going organic also means you and your child can be more environmentally aware; no chemicals in the land means less contamination and greater diversity of animal species.
Making Bath Time a Diva/Divo Moment
The idea that only girls love a pampering bath time experience is a myth. Encouraging both girls and boys to love and pamper themselves with a soothing bath is an important lesson indeed, since love for the world begins with love and care of the self. Let your kids pick their own organic soaps and shampoos, and have a fun sugar scrub making session using coconut oil, granulated white sugar, food coloring, and therapeutic grade lemon essential oils. Opt for an essential oil like lavender, which has proven calming properties, to instill a deep sense of relaxation before bed time.
Meditation Time!
An important skill to teach kids is that of calming themselves down when they are stressed. A perfect time for relaxation session is when kids are ready for bed. There are many ways to encourage kids to take the reins when it comes to stress. One is through meditation. Use an app like Calm or Breathe, which has short (five-minute) yet powerful guided meditation and/or breathing exercises that teach kids and adults how to keep the mind ‘in the here and now’. This will enable kids to escape negative thought cycles. An even simpler exercise is progressive muscle relaxation. For this exercise, instruct your child to tense up their muscles for several seconds, then relax these muscles. Start with the toes, then the feet, then the calves etc., all the way up to the face and head. You can then guide children in to a more relaxed state by asking them to imagine their body is heavy, that their eyelids are heavy, and that they are falling slowly upon a soft cloud. They may just find it hard to keep their eyes open.
To encourage kids to sleep at the same time every day, following a strict timetable is key. However, kids, like all human beings, enjoy rituals as well, particularly when these are pampering. Allow kids to choose their favorite relaxation methods and make sure to encourage them by helping them make or (if necessary and affordable) buy the tools they need to ensure that bed time is as fun as it is relaxing.
~Jennifer Dawson
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.