7 Steps to Improve Your Child’s Sleep Without Medication

(Last Updated On: August 12, 2019)

As a parent, you will be more than aware of the downsides that come as a result the impact a poor night’s sleep has on little ones. Lack of sleep can make your little ones feel cranky. They can also have issues with functioning normally in terms of their behavior, have reduced ability to learn and develop and also find it hard to keep their weight under control too.

There is a wide range of reasons why your little one could be enduring regular nights of poor, underwhelming sleep. This means that as a parent you need to address it to help them get through difficult stages of their lives like this.

Fortunately, we have some great natural tips that you can learn from and use with your child that will improve their sleep without the use of medication.

improve better sleep child

Exercise and physical activity are vital

For children who are at school, many of them will rush home to play with their games consoles, tablets, smartphones or watch the TV. Yes, regardless of their age. This digital habit needs to be controlled and not allowed to take over their lifestyle, if you want them to get optimum sleep in the night.

Yes, children do need to enjoy breaks. But research highlights that by increasing the level of physical activity children do during the day, it can aid in increased amounts of high-quality slumber at bedtime. Therefore, it makes sense to get them being as active as possible whenever you can. They’ll not only be fit and healthy but tired at the right time too!

Keep devices off the bed

Moving almost seamlessly on from the previous point about reducing smart device time with your kids, it’s important to keep their phones, tablets and such out of their bedrooms when it’s time for bed. Ideally, keep them out of the bedroom altogether so that you can create a sleep sanctuary for them in their room.

The reason for this is that the blue light emitted from smart devices prevents the melatonin release in the body functioning as it should. This interrupts good sleep patterns. Also, the link between televisions in the bedroom and low-quality sleep is prevalent. Children simply do not get the standard of sleep they need if there’s a TV in their room.  

Instead, allow areas in the house where they are permitted to use their phones, tablets and laptops and other types of screen time. This way, there will be no tantrums and their sleep will benefit as a result.

Make the Room a Sanctuary

As mentioned, making your child’s bedroom as sleep-inducing as possible is the way to go. So, the key here is to make the bedroom as comfy, cozy, relaxing and tranquil an environment as possible. This can also involve getting the right mattress to help them sleep effectively.

Choose soft, ambient colors, along with blackout blinds or curtains unless they’re set on wallpaper of their favorite action hero, or movie character, perhaps. This can help them drift off and stay asleep more comfortably then it can be a good idea to go with the flow.

Introduce white noise apps

Living in a built-up area or having your child heading off to bed reasonably early in the evening can mean that there’s still plenty of exterior noise that can interfere with their sleep. You want to provide them with the most relaxing, soothing environment for sleeping.

To combat this issue, The National Sleep Foundation advises parents to try a white noise machine. This will help to cancel out the noises that might disturb their slumber.

Try this Marpac Dohm White Noise Machine!

Have you tried meditation?

Why not see how mindfulness meditation as part of their night-time routine can help to improve their quality of sleep? Just like having your little ones regularly doing exercise during the day, this can often be very helpful for them to unwind and enjoy much better sleep each evening.

Lead by example

Essentially, if you are laying down rules for your children, then you should show them how it’s done properly and lead by example. Children emulate their parents. So if you’re promoting good habits but not carrying them out yourself, they will see this and wonder what’s going on.

Staying in line with good sleep practices will not only benefit your little ones, but it’ll help you stay healthy too.

Routine is Everything

Keep in mind the early childhood/toddler bedtime routine you made when they were younger. Bath, brushing teeth, bedtime story, lights out, fluff out the toddler pillows, sleep. Humans instinctively crave routine. So your child will still want one, even if they don’t think they do!

Conclusion

We all need to sleep. But the importance of good, quality, rested sleep is often underrated. Try these steps to help your child enjoy better sleep and better health, focus and mood!

 

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