Sleep Tips for Kids

“Sleep hygiene” is the term used to describe good sleep habits. For children, developing these healthy habits at a young age is very important, and requires parental involvement. Rarely are medications necessary to improve your child’s sleep, but rather adjustments to sleep hygiene are the mainstay for improvement.

As school is getting back in session across the country most parents want to ensure their child is getting enough sleep for optimal learning. Read on for some of our sleep hygiene tips:

• Be consistent. One of the best ways to train your body to sleep well is to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including the weekends! Most school-aged children need 9 hours of sleep, so plan bed time according to what time they need to wake up for school (ex: 9pm to 6am).

• Sleep rituals. You can develop routines that remind your body it is time to sleep. For children this could be taking a bath/shower or reading a book. Older children may rather do stretches or breathing exercises.