Summer is a fun time for children and adults alike, but all this fun can wreak havoc on sleep! Your children will enjoy the sun, warm weather and all of the fun summertime activities like the beach, the park, the zoo, the aquarium, the farm, the fireworks…maybe so much so that snoozing isn’t a priority for them! Imagine that – kids that don’t want to sleep? 🙂
So you may be asking yourself, “How can I help my kiddos stay well-rested and still enjoy the summer?”
Luckily, Christine Brown, owner of Bella Luna Family and sleep expert, is sharing her top 4 tips for preserving healthy sleep habits in today’s blog post so your kids (and Mom and Dad!) can enjoy all that summer has to offer!
#1 Stay consistent 80% of the time.
If you are consistent 80% of the time, you can relax the rules and have fun 20% of the time. This means being consistent with bedtime and nap time AT LEAST 80% of the time. When we become too lax on offering sleep at the right times, our children become overtired. Overtired children are no fun!
You’ll know you are being too relaxed if your baby or toddler start having unusual nighttime wakings, earlier morning wakeups or they are fussy in the late afternoon. These can all be signs of being overtired. Get back to basics and be consistent with offering sleep at the right times.
This will help your littles fill their tanks back up so they can be more flexible, and fun again. The great part about healthy sleep habits is that once your children have them, it is easier to get back on track.
#2 Make it dark.
The sun rising extra early can really confuse our little one’s internal clocks. It is also a challenge to convince kids it is bedtime when it is still light out! Darkening your child’s room will help them to meet their day and night sleep needs. It also help to prevent bedtime battles, early morning wake ups and nap refusals or short naps. You are aiming for a darkness of a 9 or 10 out of 10 – think cave like. You can find some of my favorite blackout solutions here.
#3 Control the temperature.
Healthy sleep habits are a lot easier to maintain if you create the perfect cave-like environment, especially in warm temperatures.
It is important to keep the temperature in your child’s bedroom or nursery between 68-72 degrees. We have a restless night when we’re too warm. Our children are the same way.
Having a floor unit air conditioner for the nursery or bedroom or using a fan to keep air circulating, ensuring it doesn’t blow directly on your baby, are great options to keep the room temperate.
For summertime slumber, opt for lightweight cotton. With air conditioning, use long-sleeve cotton pajamas and a lightweight sleep sack. With a fan, dress your baby in shorts and tees or just a diaper if it’s very warm. For swaddling, use a lightweight cotton blanket, and choose a cotton jersey sleep sack. This will keep your baby comfy all night long. Here are my favorite sleep sacks and swaddles.
#4 Block out noise.
It’s bedtime and the neighbors are partying — what do you do?
You aren’t ready to bring your little ones to the fireworks yet — will they stay in dreamland?
We can’t control the outside environment, but we can do things to help set our little ones up for sleep success and improve less-than-ideal conditions.
Investing in a sound machine can really help to block outside noise and help your children to fall and stay asleep. I’m particularly fond of these sound machines.
I hope these tips help with preserving healthy sleep habits this summer! If you need help with your child’s sleep, check out the Bella Luna Family blog or reach out to schedule a discovery call.
To learn more about other topics pertinent to families with young children, head to our blog.
