If your child is new to care or preschool at Kidspace, you may be noticing they come home pretty “wiped out” after their very full and adventure-filled days here. The energies they invest physically and mentally each day require a big adjustment for their bodies the first few weeks. And for all Kidspace children, with fall arriving with its cooler temperatures and the daylight hours starting to dwindle, their bodies will start responding to these external cues. By the end of Daylight Saving time November 6th, it will be dark when parents pick children up. Body clock reactions in your household might show up as unpleasant dinner times with cranky youngsters, emotional meltdowns at unexpected times, and your own low point of daily energy coinciding with that of your child’s.
You remember this rhyme, don't you?
You remember this rhyme, don't you?
"Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs, downstairs, in his night gown,
Tapping at the window, crying at the lock,
Are the children all in bed? For now it's eight o'clock"
It is a good idea to pay attention to how much sleep you and your kids are getting. Adults may be able to “suck it up” at work the next day after staying up very late, but children can seldom make do without adequate sleep. Toddlers, 2s, and preschoolers usually need 11 to 12 hours of shut eye a night. So if your child is a bright and early riser at 6:00 AM, count backwards 11 to 12 hours. A bedtime of 7:00 PM would probably be a good one to aim for if you have an early riser. Adjust according to your child’s usual rising time. We parents can only provide the consistent opportunity and pleasant atmosphere for a child to sleep. Whether or not they sleep is something we can’t control. Some children have difficulties falling asleep, others wake often during the night. Getting them used to a routine bedtime can help somewhat. Their bodies start to anticipate going to sleep about the same time each night, which makes falling asleep easier. If they go down about the same time each night, their waking hours as they cycle through sleep phases become more predictable for you to anticipate and they can sometimes be soothed into deeper sleep without waking fully (and you can get back to your own dream time :-)). Adequate rest and good nutrition are the backbone of good health.
Upstairs, downstairs, in his night gown,
Tapping at the window, crying at the lock,
Are the children all in bed? For now it's eight o'clock"
It is a good idea to pay attention to how much sleep you and your kids are getting. Adults may be able to “suck it up” at work the next day after staying up very late, but children can seldom make do without adequate sleep. Toddlers, 2s, and preschoolers usually need 11 to 12 hours of shut eye a night. So if your child is a bright and early riser at 6:00 AM, count backwards 11 to 12 hours. A bedtime of 7:00 PM would probably be a good one to aim for if you have an early riser. Adjust according to your child’s usual rising time. We parents can only provide the consistent opportunity and pleasant atmosphere for a child to sleep. Whether or not they sleep is something we can’t control. Some children have difficulties falling asleep, others wake often during the night. Getting them used to a routine bedtime can help somewhat. Their bodies start to anticipate going to sleep about the same time each night, which makes falling asleep easier. If they go down about the same time each night, their waking hours as they cycle through sleep phases become more predictable for you to anticipate and they can sometimes be soothed into deeper sleep without waking fully (and you can get back to your own dream time :-)). Adequate rest and good nutrition are the backbone of good health.
Pleasant family evening routines can restore harmony even in a cranky household. If you haven’t already, don’t be afraid to pick a consistent bedtime for your toddler or preschooler based on your child’s sleep needs. Then, create a simple, predictable pattern of evening activities that lead up to that time. One common pattern parents build their own variation of has these elements:
- dinner time
- mommy/daddy play/activity time
- bath & pajama time
- tooth time
- story/goodnight kiss time
- lights out
This can be a foreign concept for those of us adults who find it easy to accommodate changes from night to night. We might even find routines to be tedious and dull. But for children, predictable and pleasant routines help them feel secure. It also allows them consistent opportunities to practice self help skills with you nearby like trying the potty, brushing teeth and putting on pajamas. Moving through these reassuring nightly routines with children can be one of the closest times of the day for families and enjoyable for all. Do you remember what your parents’ routines were for you? Some of those nightly rituals you fondly remember from childhood have probably already become a family tradition you share with your own child. I can still hear my dad's voice intoning, "Night night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," as he snapped off the light.
Sleep and family patterns vary widely from household to household and there is no one right pattern to adopt. Decide what bedtime you will aim for, find one element of a nightly routine that works for you now and build other simple elements from there. I’m hoping your nightly routines bring you and your child closer and make for very pleasant mornings.
Sleep and family patterns vary widely from household to household and there is no one right pattern to adopt. Decide what bedtime you will aim for, find one element of a nightly routine that works for you now and build other simple elements from there. I’m hoping your nightly routines bring you and your child closer and make for very pleasant mornings.
Share with us in the comments section below evening and bedtime routines you loved as a child or that are working for your family now. We'd love to have your ideas!
Responding to your comments: I'm glad nighttime routines are going well for your family, SB! Thanks for commenting. It is nice you have a time for starting naps as well.
Responding to your comments: I'm glad nighttime routines are going well for your family, SB! Thanks for commenting. It is nice you have a time for starting naps as well.
Some children give up napping fairly early in their careers, but most keep napping regularly until age 5 or 6. Even after they no long nap, it is good to keep planning regular "down time" into their days throughout childhood and adolescence. An hour of restful looking at books, gazing out the window, sitting under a tree is very restorative. As children get older we parents can sometimes feel the need to fill up the empty schedule slots in the day with activities. But all humans need lots of white space on the page. We have to guard against a tendency to write in the margins and leave no space for rest and renewing our energy. Restful routines early in life set kids up for a healthier, less stress-filled life. If our kids see us recline on the couch for a snooze or sit down, put our feet up, and pick up a book for an hour, it is great modeling.
We follow a routine much like you describe, and our 18 mo old Apple sleeps about 11-12 hours a night right on the nose! Bedtime for us is 6:30-7P and he wakes around 6:30 each morning. Naps are a little less predictable - we usually put him down at the same time but the lengths of sleep range wildly.
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