With the start of school approaching quickly, now is the time to help our children get back into a routine.
For many families, sleep tends to go off the rails during the summer. Understandably, because we are cramming vacations and fun trips into longer days, trying to take advantage of this time when we are off from school.
As a certified child sleep consultant, I am often asked about different sleep needs and ideal bedtimes for our children based on age.
A good restorative night’s sleep means less stress and fewer battles getting out the door for school and a calmer, more peaceful morning in that precious time with our kids before we say goodbye for the day.
It means happier, well-rested kids who are ready to learn, and it also means HAPPIER, WELL-RESTED PARENTS.
Meeting our children’s sleep requirements is essential for their cognitive, emotional, and physical health. Sleep is equally as important as what our children put into their bodies foodwise but often gets overlooked. We often stress so much about what we feed our children, but sleep needs get pushed into the background.
Sleep is simply another form of nutrition. We can go for days without food, but we cannot go for days without sleep.
How Much Sleep Do Children Need?
The amount of sleep your child requires depends on their age.
Why is Timing Bedtime So Important?
Our bodies have an internal clock dictated by the sun, which tells us when it’s time to eat and sleep and other body processes (also known as circadian rhythms). When we have the right timing, it is much easier for children to fall asleep and have quality, restorative sleep.
The two primary challenges with timing bedtime are putting our children down too early or, more often, too late.
When we put our children down too early, they may not have enough sleep pressure built up and often will take longer to fall asleep and end with frustrated children and parents.
This is not to say that you will never implement an early bedtime. Sometimes an early bedtime (5:30pm, for example) is your best tool if your child has had a rough nap day or was awake a lot in the night and is just plain exhausted. It is a temporary solution to help make up some of that sleep debt.
The more common problem parents encounter is bedtime being too late. The idea of “the later you put your child down, the later they will sleep” does not work.
This sounds logical. But sleep isn’t logical; it’s biological.
Putting our children down too late results in overtired children who have gotten a second wind and will fight falling asleep. They may also wake up during the night or arise even earlier.
Here are the ideal bedtimes by age:
Tips to Get Back Into a Routine
Adjust Wake Time
A week before school starts, begin waking them at the time they need to be up to get ready for school (even on weekends!) and set an alarm!
Move Bedtime Earlier
Using the chart for sleep needs above, count backward from their new wake-up time and make sure you are putting them down at an appropriate bedtime, adding in some time for them to settle. For example, if 7:30pm is the ideal bedtime to get the sleep they need to wake earlier, put them down around 7-715pm so ideally, they are asleep by 7:30.
Screen Time
Stop screen time at least one hour before bedtime. This is a good rule for us grown-ups too!
If you have gotten too relaxed with your child’s bedtime routine, now is the time to get back to it!
Children crave consistency, even though they don’t always realize it. A good bedtime routine is usually around 30 minutes before lights out. Consider a bath, pajamas, cuddles, books, and lights out.
