Create a Better Bedtime Routine With These Simple Steps!

Give Your Child A Bath Before Bedtime 

Use one tablespoon to one cup of Epsom salt in the bath. Let your child soak for 20 minutes. This helps your child to relax and wind down before bed.  

Enjoy A Stress-free Dinner Time

Is your child crying that they don’t want to eat their dinner? Is it the most stressful part of your day to feed your child? Good eating habits play a central role in the ability for your child’s body to function properly. Make sure your child is getting plenty of animal fats during the day. Often, cases of intense sleeplessness are often traced back to a gut issue. Click HERE to read about our son’s story of health and healing. 

Our Fussy Eating Program is designed to help you discover peace and fulfillment for you and your child through comprehensive, caring consultation. You and your child will develop a new relationship with food, and be rewarded with a fun and healthy way to relate to each other. Daily support is offered because of the varying needs of each child, and the complex emotions that arise when a parent feels difficulty about nourishing their child. Click HERE to access a FREE consultation. Dawn will help you set realistic goals for you and your child so you can experience success and growth together.

Rest and Digest

After dinner, it is important to avoid stimulating activities. Dinner time signals to your children that it is the start of their bedtime routine. Reducing activities after dinner helps your child to reduce stress and cortisol spikes at bedtime. 

Set The Same Bedtime Every Night  

Children thrive on routines!  The brain and body flourishes on a predictable schedule of sleep and awake time. Ensure that your child goes to sleep at the same time each night to establish a natural rhythm for their own body. 

Read A Book 

Enjoy special moments with your child as you read a book together. Reading can reduce stress and help your child to relax and fall asleep more quickly. 

Limit Blue Light and LEDs 

Melatonin is found naturally in our bodies and aids in helping us sleep. Unfortunately, blue light and LED light reduces the amount of melatonin that the body produces and can ultimately use for sleep. Although it may be tempting to turn on the television after dinner to relax, it may have the opposite effect you are looking for and may lead to the inability to fall asleep quickly. After dinner, avoid the use of tablets, television, computers, and smartphones to help your child fall asleep faster.  Click HERE for more information.

Say No To Night Lights

Although night lights seem to help a child feel more comfortable going to sleep, they may have difficulty falling asleep. Night lights also can reduce the amount of melatonin your body produces, and therefore, reduces the quality of sleep. If your child is afraid of the dark and needs a night light for comfort, make sure to turn the light off after your child falls asleep so their body can adjust and produce the needed melatonin. 

Use Blackout Curtains

Blackout curtains can have an enormous impact on the quality of sleep! Since the sun goes down later in the summer than in other months, it is especially important to use blackout curtains on the windows so your child can fall asleep at the same time every night. In addition, blackout curtains can also help your child to nap more easily during the day time and block the light coming through the windows. 

In extreme cases, please discuss with your doctor first.