The majority of kids need more sleep than their parents think. Signs that your child may not be getting enough rest include crankiness or lethargy by day, difficulty concentrating in school or failing grades, and being hard to wake up in the morning. To help your child get plenty of sleep, try the following:
- Have a consistent bedtime. School –age children should be in bed by 8-9pm, earlier for younger kids.
- Set up a good bedtime routine, which will help send a signal to your child’s body that it’s time to wind down. This might include giving him a bath or a snack, reading a bedtime story, and talking or singing to him softly while tucking him in.
- Make sure your child’s room is conducive to sleep. It should be dark, quiet and have no distractions.
- Don’t keep a TV and computer in your child’s room.
- Avoid stimulating activity before bedtime.
- Stick to the same timetable and routines for bedtime on weekend and vacations that you follow during the weekend. A variation once in a while won’t cause any long term disruptions but erratic bedtimes can lead to poor sleep habits and sleep deprivation.
