20 Jun Top Tips to Help Your Child To Sleep

Posted at 04:42h in Uncategorised by

Sleep … it’s one of the most important elements for physical and emotional wellbeing. As adults, we know how we feel if we don’t get enough sleep, or have poor quality sleep: tired, irritable, and struggling to reach our usual level of performance when completing everyday tasks. When it comes to babies and young children, research indicates quality sleep is also as important as nutrition and exercise when it comes to growth and development.

But falling – and staying – asleep can be a challenge for young children. With many parents asking how they can help their child to sleep, we’ve come up with some top tips to give everyone the chance of a good night’s sleep:

  1. Experts agree that creating an ideal sleep environment in nurseries plays a key role towards restful slumber. Lively Living’s groundbreaking, sleep-promoting aroma diffuser, Aroma-Snooze and Lively Living essential oils are fast becoming the household hero of sleep! The Aroma-Snooze’s benefits enhance sleep environments by acting as a humidifier, ioniser, and air purifier, and with inclusions such as LED red and orange light therapy, a built-in personal voice recorder, and sound and music tracks including relaxing and uplifting rhythmic lullabies, pink noise, heartbeat, and rainfall, it’s a must for any nursery.
  2. Appropriate ventilation and lighting can also impact your child’s sleeping environment. Consider air quality and temperature when tucking little ones in. Watch out for draughts, humidity, and heat. Is there a night light for comfort and reassurance? Is there too much external noise from cars, or people, pets, or appliances?
  3. A positive bedtime routine will not only help your child settle in to a deeper sleep more quickly, it will help them develop good sleep habits for the future.  Achieving a bedtime routine can be as simple as implementing several pre-sleep steps, and repeating them at the same time, in the same order every night. Many bedtime routines include a combination of the following simple steps:
  • Taking a relaxing bath
  • Brushing teeth
  • Reading a book together, or listening to a story or lullaby
  • A positive affirmation
  • A kiss goodnight
  • Lights out

Establishing a regular pattern helps children understand that sleep is to follow.

  1. Comfort Toys:  Never underestimate the value of a child’s comfort toy! Studies have found that up to 80% of children can form an attachment to an inanimate object. Whether it’s a favourite teddy, a cherished doll, a handmade blanket, or a much-loved truck, some children sleep better knowing their special friend is close to hand. (NB – Soft toys should be kept out of sleeping environments for babies under seven months. For more information and guidelines, click here).
  2. Daily Exercise can help contribute to a good night’s sleep. By ensuring children get plenty of fresh air and regular exercise and playtime during the day, it will help them drift off to sleep quicker at night.
  3. Avoiding large meals and caffeine prior to bedtime will also help combat resistance to sleep. Dietary choices can play an important role in better sleep though. The National Sleep Foundation has a helpful list of food and drinks that can help promote a good night’s sleep here.
  4. Reduce screen time on electronic devices. We all know children love their tablets, smartphones, and computers but the blue glow from screens  – especially prior to bedtime – is highly detrimental to sleep. Red light helps negate the effects of excessive blue light exposure, which is where the Aroma-Snooze’s red LED light therapy can really help.

So, how much sleep should your child be getting? Here’s a handy guide to the average sleep requirements of children, and babies. How is your little one tracking?  

Helping your child get to sleep, and stay asleep, can be a challenging stage for many parents.  Give yourself the best chance of success with our top tips, and the Aroma-Snooze. 

We recommend either the Winter Rescue Remedy or Sensitive Child Blend as a companion to use in your Aroma-Snooze for a great nights sleep

It’s a real game changer in the quest for a good night’s sleep!