Adjusting Your Childs Bedtime and Sleep Schedule for Back-To-School [sleeplady.c…

Adjusting Your Childs Bedtime and Sleep Schedule for Back-To-School [sleeplady.com] Adjusting Your Childs Bedtime and Sleep Schedule for Back-To-School Oh the lazy days ofsummer. Long stretches of daylight lemonadegrillingand pick-up games outside. If it could only last a little longer! As the season winds down you may take a final getaway weekend with your family. Or you may just stay home and squeeze every bit of time before school starts. Either way theres a good chance that your children are off their normal bedtime andsleep scheduleby now. Thats completely understandable but its also something that needs to be remedied before the school bell rings. I want to help equip you to get your children back into an age-appropriate and healthy sleep routine so that they wake up bright-eyed and alert for that first day of school. Its not really an impossible task. It just takes a little forethought and a few days to implement changes. Shift Bedtime and Sleep Schedule Back to Where It Should Be You can shift your childs bedtime back to the appropriate time for school nights either gradually or cold turkey you choose. If you do it gradually then shift it in 30-minute increments over as many days as needed. Just do the math. Most elementary school-aged children need to be in bed by 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. to get the sleep they need each night. Follow theserecommendationsfrom the American Academy of Pediatrics for total hours of sleep pre-school and school-aged kids should get by age: Children 3 to 5 years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours daily to promote optimal health. That includes naps. Children 6 to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours daily. Teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours daily. If your child shows some resistance to going to bed earlier wake him up in the morning at his new school day wake up time. If you prefer to go cold turkey I recommend starting this process in the morning by waking your child up at his new school day wake-up time. That evening put him in bed at the appropriate time so he can get the recommended amount of sleep after a calmbedtime routine. He will be a little more tired and willing to go to sleep at his new bedtime. RELATED:8 Steps to Fall Asleep Fast. The Benefit of Physical Activity for Sleep Gettingphysical activityeach day is important for our sleep. During the school year it may get pushed aside when homework piles up. As weather permits you can take a brisk walk around the neighborhood for 30 minutes after dinner or play catch. Just be sure your child is fitting in at least 30 minutes ofexercise ideally outside. This will help her go to sleep as well as improving her physical health. While rough play like wrestling on the bed for fun is great for some kids bring it to an end an hour before bedtime because it naturally stimulates your child and will keep her up longer. The same goes for strenuous physical activity. Choose puzzles building toysreadingor other quiet activities in the hour before bedtime. Create a Soothing Bedtime Routine Trust me children thrive on routine even if they resist it at times. Sometimes we jettison our routines in the summer and need to put some structure back in place as school draws near. Your childs evening routine actually begins atdinnertime. Young children digest their food more slowly than adults and will need to eat two hours before bedtime in order to sleep soundly. After dinner you may clean up together and do something as a family. Structuring your school-aged childs soothing bedtime routine can be as simple as choosing three to four things that should happen every night in the same order right before your child goes to bed. This may include a bath or shower brushing teeth laying out clothes and shoes packing the childs backpack for the next day snuggles and a book or a story. Depending on their age your child may enjoy some independent reading time before you say goodnight to him. Just be sure to brush teeth and put pajamas on before you let him start to read in bed. Show your growing child your love and affection with snuggles hugs and kisses. Turn off the light at bedtime and say goodnight. The idea is to find a routine that suits your family and stick to it. Of course you will change it as your child grows but dont change it every week. Keeping to a consistent rhythm in the evening right before bed signals to your child when its time to sleep. Thenegative effects of sleep deprivationare real and detrimental in many ways. Being sure your child is well-rested for school is one of the most important tasks on your plate as a parent Turn Off Electronics It can be tempting to help your child wind down withelectronics but mostscreen timeactually has the opposite effect. We all have a body clock called our circadian rhythm which is a 24-hour cycle. This rhythm regulates when and how we sleep wake and eat with melatonin a hormone secreted in the brain by the pineal gland. Blue light emitted by our electronic devices and some light bulbs suppress the production of melatonin which we all need at night to go to sleep. Children should avoid all computerssmartphonesor tablets for at least two hours before bedtime since these items are generally within 12 to 18 inches of the face. The effect of the blue light diminishes from over five feet away so watching television from a safe distance does not have the same negative effect on our melatonin production. But the content of the programming and the length does matter for your child. Intense programming can have a disturbing effect on your child once she lies down in bed and is alone. Also the more we sit and watch TV at night the less we read books and interact and the more we eat. One idea is to limit your elementary school kids screen time to weekends so that its not a daily battle and its not adversely affecting their sleep schedule on school nights. At the very least turn off handheld devices or computers two hours before bed and TVs an hour before bed. Practice Your Morning Routine If your child is just starting school or pre-school consider doing a dry run a day or two before the big day. If appropriate help your child set his alarm and teach him how to turn it off. Get up at the new school day wake-up time get dressed make your childs lunch make sure he eats a healthy breakfast brush teeth and hair gather his backpack put on shoes and drive by the school. This is great for Mom or Dad too. Sometimes we underestimate (or overestimate) how much time we need in the morning. You will all get in a groove and improve your time as you get used to the morning routine. But the traffic will increase when school really starts so keep that in mind. RELATED: Kick Off Back-to-School Routines for your Special Needs Child by Using Custom Checklists A Rested Child Performs Better and Is Happier Thenegative effects of sleep deprivationare real and detrimental in many ways. Being sure your child is well-rested for school is one of the most important tasks on your plate as a parent. A rested child will perform better in school and be happier about going to school. She will relate more effectively to peers and teachers and experience lessanxietyabout all of the changes involved in going to school. It doesnt eliminate all of the concerns children will have but it sets them up to cope better physically mentally and emotionally. Going to school is a big adjustment for young children whether its their first year or third. I encourage you to take some extra time at the end of summer to shift their schedule and implement a bedtime routine conducive to getting plenty of sleep. It will be well worth it. This article originally appeared in US News and World Report. Kim West Kim is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been a practicing child and family therapist for more than 24 years and the creator of the original gentle proven method to get a good nights sleep for you and your child. She is the author of The Sleep Ladys Good Night Sleep Tight its companion Workbook and 52 Sleep Secrets for Babies. Click here to read more about her. Did you find this article helpful? Please share it with your friends by clicking below or ask a question on The Sleep Lady Facebook page. 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