Is it bad of me to admit that I am looking forward to the schools opening? I think not! Looking after children can be very hard work and I don’t do myself any favours by giving them work and sitting with them to do it most days so that I keep their minds active over the summer. One of the most important things other than getting all the school uniform of course is getting the girls back into a good sleeping routine as I must admit we have be a bit relaxed with this over the summer holidays.
Now that the first day of school is rapidly approaching, yaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!! I have to get the girls ready for school as I can’t have them sleeping through the first week. We learnt the hard way when my eldest first started school the importance of having a routine.
Silentnight’s sleep expert Dr Nerina a physiologist, sleep therapist, author and consultant for over 20 years has some super tips for helping our little ones ease back into their school-time sleep schedule. Here is the Melanie’s Fab Finds version:
Gradually Reintroduce Earlier Bedtimes.
For pre-teans this would be no later than 8:30pm (looks like I got that right). Do this gradually to allow them to adjust and of course avoid arguments.
- Start Introducing Technology-Free Time in the Evenings.
Research shows that a constant stream of before we go to sleep tells our brains we want to be awake. At least an hour before bedtime use of ipads, phones, tv’s and tablets should be in a sense banned, trust me it works and I’m talking from experience!
So no more of this!!!
- Exercise
- Ok. so it’s stating the blatantly obvious but regular exercise during the day will help EVERYONE get a great night’s sleep especially if we tire the mini ones out before ourselves! Regular exercise is also effective in reducing adrenaline levels (stress hormone) resulting in a deeper sleep. So grab those coats and take the children to the local park, soft play, even get them to do laps in an enclosed shopping centre but whatever you do make sure you get them moving! A short walk after an evening meal is perfect to help them wind down.
- Good Nutritional Habits
Enabling children to eat balanced meals, whether that’s via lunchbox or home cooked meals will help them sleep better. How? Foods such as chicken, cheese, tuna, eggs, nuts and milk are all high in serotonin which is one of the hormones that help us sleep. 
(recipe ‘here’)
- Create a Sleep Friendly Environment
Ideally a cool environment with fresh bedding without any tv’s, ipads etc. If your children like the smell use lavender oil. This oil is great for relaxing young and old and has plenty of clinical studies to show that it does work!
6. Chat
Whether they are going back to school or starting somewhere new it can be worrying for some children. Talk to your little ones and encourage them to talk about any concerns they may have. Believe me the world would be a better place if we all talked about our feelings more. Dr Nerina suggests trying meditation, simple yoga and breathing techniques to help little ones,
7. A Calming Pre-Sleep Routine
No ipad, no tv, I can here you saying ’’My goodness, what am I to do!” There are various options; a nice warm bath, a milky drink, reading. All these can help children wind down and feel more ready for bed.
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So many great tips there… thankyou for sharing. With 5 children aged 1-13 we need all the advice we can get!
Good luck Claire, I hope thse work for you. It sounds like you have your hands full.
I remember being little and hating getting back into my routine for school! There’s some good facts here though.. I hope the routine goes well!
Thanks Sabina, we are getting there luckily, hope we can keep it up until the schools open.
That recipe looks absoolutely delicious, I need to check it out! x
Enjoy and make sure you check out my other recipes.
I can’t believe that the school holidays are almost over, it’s gone so quickly. I need to take some of these tips myself about technology free time. x
It’s really hard, my hubby is struggling to do it! 😉
I love watching all the parents get excited for back to school time! I live opposite a school so I enjoy it when its holiday time as it’s quiet for once! Brilliant post 🙂
Lottie xx
Oh dear, the school run is the worst and hardest part. I love the holidays too!!! 😉
Good luck to all the children going to school soon. I hope they get a good night of sleep every night.
That would be great wouldn’t it. I’ve started getting my girls routine back to what we had for school time.
My children normally go to bed at 8pm but during the holidays have been staying up until 10pm. I have tried to get them back to a routine but it is difficult. Fingers crossed it falls into place next week!
Good Luck Maya, I am hoping that mine don’t struggle with it too much too.
Lots of great ideas 🙂 Well-rested kids learn well!
They sure do. It makes everything so much easier when they have a good nights sleep 😉
Great advice….We have been trying to get back into a routine.
It’s hard work especially when you get resistance but worth it in the end.
We start getting them back into there routine a couple of weeks before they go back to school, its still a struggle when they go back to wake them up.
This is so true! Wish I had found this post earlier though. Would’ve saved me a weeks of rest.