As adults, we have a new appreciation for sleep. We wish someone would tell us to go to bed early and that everyone would creep around the house like a mouse to make sure that we are not disturbed while we dream peacefully. Naps? Toddlers have no idea how lucky they are! Give us a daily nap and the world would be our oyster. Of course, babies, toddlers, and even teens just do not seem to appreciate sleep as much as we do. They will someday, but for now, it is up to the adults to set rules, routines, and habits in place so our children – no matter how young or old – can get the best night of sleep possible.

Tips For Getting Children Of All Ages To Get A Better Night's Sleep

Babies And Toddlers

A lot of the sleep techniques or tips for babies work just as well for toddlers. More than anything, you will need to set an evening routine. For some families, this might include a bath, the reading of a favorite book, or simply snuggling on the couch talking about everything that was experienced during the day as sort of a recap. Whatever you decide to do with your evening, try to make a routine out of it.

The next thing you want to do is to think about the mattress that you are giving your children to sleep on. For infants, you have to be careful with the mattress that you are using because the mattress needs to be firm, a soft sleeping surface can increase the risk of SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome. 

Of course, this does not mean that it has to be extremely uncomfortable. This is why you will want to shop through a company that has become a leader in the world of infant and toddler mattresses.

Tweens And Teens

It is important to make sure that you are not allowing your tweens and teens to take their iPods, smartphones, iPads, tablets, or Apple watch to bed with them. In fact, you will want to start removing these things from them at least one hour before it is time to go to bed. This way, their minds will have a chance to start to wind down. Turn off the televisions all throughout the house as well. Go ahead and start dimming some of the lights, as this will help trigger the production of melatonin in the kids, which is what is needed in order to fall into a nice deep nighttime slumber.

All Children

One of the best ways to make sure that your children are more than ready for bed when it is time is to get them to wear themselves out. Get them outside to do some fun activities. Even if you simply have your toddler running around the yard with the dog for an hour before bath time, that should help him or her get rid of that built up energy that would have otherwise made it difficult to fall asleep. Your teens might not want to run around the yard, but they can finish up some chores, go ride bikes with friends, or simply go for a walk around the neighborhood with the entire family.

With those tips in mind, you should have a much easier time making sure that your children, no matter their age, will start getting much better rest at night. If you are still having a lot of trouble with their sleeping habits, you may want to consult with their pediatrician. There could be a medical reason for the sleep disturbances if all of the good habits fail to make a big enough of a difference.