Bedtime Routine

With after school clubs and other commitments, sticking to a bedtime routine can get trickier as your child gets older.

For some, this won’t make any difference to how they sleep, whether they follow a strict bedtime routine or not, as soon as the lights go out, they will drift off, for others this could be the difference between a good night’s sleep and, well, not. It's not only young children that benefit from a bedtime routine, but some older ones too.

Here we look at a few little rituals you can incorporate into your child’s bedtime routine to help them feel older but also get them ready for a good night’s sleep. Shower-time As your child gets older, its nice to give them the independence to wash themselves on an evening and sometimes a shower can help them calm down, rather than the excitement of playing in the bath, particularly if there are younger siblings involved. Giving your older child the independence to sort their own shower can allow you time to focus on getting your younger child(ren) to bed while the older child feels more grown up.

If they are a little reluctant then you could encourage them with a few of their own toiletries and have their dressing gown and towel warming on the radiator for when they get out – a little calming music can also help get them in the right frame of mind for bed too. Yoga A lovely way to wind down after a busy day and it doesn’t need to take long.

Just a few calming stretches and yoga poses can go a long way to calm things down and settle the mind and body, ready for a good night’s sleep. If you are looking for inspiration, then there are plenty of options online – just have a quick look on YouTube or Google for some ideas. Pillow Mists and Essential Oils Another thing to help calm active minds at bedtime is a lovely, scented pillow mist or rub a little essential oil on their wrists or their back.

Lavender is obviously a popular one, but you could also try ylang ylang, camomile or peppermint.

A cup of warm camomile may also help relax them at bedtime, but if they are prone to needing the toilet at night, you may want to limit this to half a cup. Journaling If your child really struggles to switch off at bedtime as their mind is processing what they did during the day, then a simple journal may help.

There are loads available aimed at young children or a simple notebook will work well too.

They could list the top 3 things they enjoyed, how they felt during the day and if there was anything that was troubling them.

It’s a nice thing to do together and can help them talk through anything that is on their mind, which can then help them switch off when the lights go out.

You may need to keep a time limit on it though, if your child is really reluctant to go to sleep, they may try and drag this activity out, so you stay with them longer. Meditation Stories / Music Meditation stories or lovely relaxing music can really help some children fall to sleep.

Have them play quietly in the background while they get comfortable in bed and listen to the words or music and hopefully this will help them unwind and fall into a deep sleep. It can be tricky if your child struggles to go to sleep, as the knock-on-effect can be felt across the whole family.

Try and talk to them to see if there is an issue that is stopping them falling asleep and then come up with a plan together to implement a more effective bedtime routine and hopefully you will see some improvements.

If you feel your child really does have an issue with sleep, then do consult your doctor.

With after school clubs and other commitments, sticking to a bedtime routine can get trickier as your child gets older.