How to Get Sleep Back on Track after the Summer Holidays..
How we love the summer holidays especially after the last…well seems like forever! The long summer evenings, the time spent re-familiarising ourselves with family and friends, the staycations oh the staycations! OK, possibly not the most idyllic summer camping in the rain however our children, the perfect excuse to throw away the routine along with the alarm clock and go rogue giving our children some much needed fun and games with no need to worry about bubbles, home-schooling or periods of isolation!
But now the ‘back to school’ ads are in full swing, Clarks have upped their game and are rubbing their hands in anticipation of the busiest period in their business calendar. It’s nearly time to go back to normal (boooo) which probably means back to routines including bedtime! So, rather than leave it until the day before, it is a good time to start thinking about bringing that routine back slowly but surely.
We believe that routines are vital, and research like this does back us up: having a routine not only helps us sleep better but also helps our children cope with school in terms of improved concentration, better temperament and improved overall wellbeing and behaviour. With both of our backgrounds originally in education, we have seen first-hand how lack of sleep can be detrimental to a child’s learning experience and their overall perception of school as well as their ability to navigate through lengthy school terms. Routine is king.
Here, we share some end of holiday tips to help get your family routine back on track, re-establish more age-appropriate bedtimes and get solid, effective and restorative sleep…..
1) Agree a set bedtime that works for you all
It’s highly likely that bedtimes have been a bit more flexible over the holidays and, as a result, so too have awake times but now is the time to re-set your little one’s body clocks and get them back into a good sleep rhythm. When we get into a good sleep/wake rhythm, our body understands when it is time to go to sleep and so releases the right chemicals to help this happen at the right time making sleep much easier!
Up to the age of 4, aim for a full 12 hours solid sleep. After this, you can aim for 10 or 11 depending on your child and their individual sleep needs.
2) Slowly does it: return to your ideal bedtime in chunks
Going from a very relaxed 9.30pm bedtime back to 7 or 7.30pm on night one is probably not going to happen (peacefully at least) so, instead, gradually adjust bedtime every 2/3 days in the days leading up to returning to school or preschool. If wake up time has also got a little later, do the same with morning starts, gradually making them earlier in line with bedtime. Ideally, you will be back in the swing of a ‘normal’ bedtime and awake time a few days before things start up again. This allows the body to catch up on all of that lost sleep, as well as re-setting their body clock which will be much needed to prepare your little ones for their new school term.
3) Keep in mind that big changes can equal big feelings
September heralds changes for many of our little people. Whether that be a new room at nursery, starting school, new friends, a new teacher or all of the above, your little person is likely to be facing some BIG changes! These changes can lead to big feelings and all sorts of different emotions which can affect sleep.
Make opportunities and put time aside during the day to chat, cuddle and discuss any worries or feelings your child may have or ask questions about anything that is making them feel anxious. If your little one finds talking about big feelings tough, you could use a picture book such as ‘The Colour Monster’ by Anna IIenas to help start the conversation.
4) Boost their immune system with good sleep
Oh the germs! Oh not again! Heading back to childcare or school means welcoming back all of those unwelcomed lurgies. Did you know that sleep is the best multivitamin you can get? And what’s more - it’s FREE! Getting some extra sleep in before they return will supercharge your child’s immune system- if you would like to read more on this, click here.
5) And breathe: Try some mindfulness to help your child wind down
Mindfulness is a lovely, relaxing element to incorporate into your child’s bedtime routine or to do with them before bedtime begins or at another point whilst you wind-down. There are so many lovely online resources to help guide you both but also in App format for you to listen to together. Breathing exercises are one of the simplest versions of mindfulness and, once learnt, can be useful for your child to use if they ever feel anxious or need to calm down in other situations. Check out our Instagram grid here for some examples of these which also ensure the last hour of day you spend together is calm, relaxed and stress free. Perfect.
Keep in mind that, as the summer holidays draw to a close and pre-school and school returns, you may experience some sleep blips but these are normal and to be expected. Just being aware of this will help you to be supportive and emotionally available for you little one and this, in turn, will help make any transitions as smooth as possible and help them get that super important good quality sleep they so need.
For more advice, get in touch here, or head to our Instagram page for more top tips or to drop us a quick message.
C& E xxx