Send Your Child Back to School Well-Rested
With the world opening back up this summer, I’m sure many of you (like us!) have thrown your normal routines and schedules out the window to accommodate beach days, vacations, and evening play time with friends. It has been wonderful to get outside and enjoy the things we love again!
But we just received all of the information for kindergarten for our oldest son, which means some realities are starting to set in!
Holy smokes, I’m about to have a kindergartener!
Oh boy, we actually have to be up and out the door by a certain time or he will miss the buss/get dropped off late!
There are still a few weeks left before school officially starts, which means this is the perfect time to get started on easing your child back into their normal routines and schedules. Here are my top tips to ensure your child is getting the sleep they need for school.
Why is sleep so important?
Sleep has a direct impact on cognitive ability. A lack of sleep can make it difficult to learn, and a child who is sleep-deprived will have trouble focusing, retaining what they learn and making decisions. All of which are necessary to succeed in school.
Not getting enough sleep can also lead to inability to control emotions, acting out and hyperactivity. When this happens, there can be a negative impact on the overall environment in the classroom.
Your child’s immune system can also be affected by lack of sleep. Their body needs restorative sleep in order to heal and fight off germs. As we all know, there is no shortage of germs at school!
When should your school-aged child go to bed?
A set bedtime is the best place to start. The ideal bedtime that I recommend to practically every family I work with is between 7:00-8:00pm. You’ll want to keep this bedtime until they reach those pre-teen years.
Why do an early bedtime?
School-aged kids need 10-12 hours of nighttime sleep. That means if they have to be up by 6:00-6:30am to get ready and out the door for school, they need to be asleep no later than 8:30pm in order to get the minimum amount of recommended sleep. But most people don’t fall asleep the second their head hits the pillow, so you’ll actually want to ensure they are in bed closer to 8:00pm.
If you find that they are struggling to wake up for school still, you may need to move bedtime even earlier!
Here are some samples based on age:
Preschool (3-5 years) with a nap: wake at 6:30am, 1.5 hour nap, 8:00pm bedtime
Preschool (3-5 years) with no nap: wake 6:30am, 6:30/7:00pm bedtime
Kindergarten and up (5+ years): wake 6:30am, 7:30pm bedtime
This bedtime can vary depending on your child. If they are higher sleep needs, they may need a 7:00pm bedtime. If they are lower sleep needs, 8:00pm may work better for them.
How to make the adjustment:
Hopefully you still have a few weeks before school starts so you can gradually adjust your child’s schedule.
If your child has had a bedtime of 9:00pm this summer, move it up by 15 minutes every 3-4 days until you reach the appropriate bedtime for school. This means you will also need to adjust their wake up time if they have been sleeping in . Follow the same adjustment schedule as you are using at bedtime.
For children who know how to tell time, this may take some sneakiness on your part by either adjusting their bedroom clocks or covering up the minutes section on the clock. If your child uses an Ok to Wake clock or the Hatch clock, adjust when the clocks change color to signal bedtime and wake times.
Tips to Make Sleep a Priority.
Make bedtime a time for connection.
If you don’t already have a bedtime routine, now is a great time to establish one. Keeping this routine the same each night will help cue to their bodies that it is time to produce melatonin for sleep.
Bath/shower
Brush teeth
Potty
PJs
Story time
Bedtime is a perfect for slowing down and connecting. In our home we end our five year old’s bedtime routine with one of two mindful activities. These activities act as a peaceful transition to sleep.
We listen to a meditation on his Zenimal. This is a screen-free meditation device that our son truly loves. He even took it to preschool to listen to during moments when he needed to find some calm. They have so many wonderful meditation for your child to choose from. My son’s favorite is The Sleep Fairy.
The second activity we love to do is where his dad or I ask three questions:
What made you smile today?
What went well today?
What made you laugh today?
Then we ask him how those three things make him feel inside, which usually gives him a giant smile and makes him wiggle with excitement before he says ‘happy’. To which I tell him, give that feeling a great big hug and hold on to it as you fall asleep. I love this because it helps the child to focus on the positives in their day instead of the negatives which can be very helpful when starting back at school.
Utilize a Timer.
The bedtime routine should be no more than 30 minutes. If you have a master negotiator, you may need to make timers your new BFF at bedtime. For example, you can set a 15 minute timer for bath, potty, brushing teeth and pjs. Then reset for another 15 minutes for story time and your mindfulness exercise. “Beating the clock” can make it a bit more fun for your child, and lessen the opportunity for them to drag out certain steps in the routine.
Give Your Child Some Power.
A great way to reduce battles at bedtime is to actually give your child back some of the control. Let them pick out their pajamas and the book they would like to read.
Switch Off the Electronics.
The blue light emitted from screens has been proven to disrupt sleep. It interferes with the body’s natural sleep/wake cycle by suppressing melatonin production. The exact opposite of what we want at bedtime!
Set a screen time curfew. Ideally, no screens during the two hours prior to bedtime.
No screens in the bedroom.
If your child is doing virtual schooling this year, try to eliminate screen time after school hours and get them outside.
Create an Ideal Sleep Environment.
Besides the light from screens, what other type of light might make it difficult for your child to fall asleep at bedtime? Sunlight! Check out my blog on Blackout Solutions and for a guide on how dark your child’s room should be for sleep plus my favorite blackout options!
If they do require a nightlight, choose one of these colors:
Yellow-Good
Orange-Better
Red- Best
Utilize a white noise machine to block out any external sounds that could prevent your child from falling and staying asleep.
Ensure the room is a comfortable temperature.
I hope you enjoy these last few weeks of summer and that your kiddos are able to start the new school year off well-rested and with a positive mindset!
Sleep easy,
Yasmin J.
Your Pediatric Sleep Consultant
