Tips For Parents To Make Kids Fall Asleep

Sleeping through the night is possible. With a bit of work and discipline, your tired toddler will put in six, seven, eight consecutive hours and give sleep-deprived parents a much-needed break. But how to get there? We talked to the experts about how to get kids to sleep, what steps parents should take, and what to expect along the way.

* Focus on wake time

You may not be able to control going to sleep, given the internal clock is used to sleeping later. But you may be able to control getting up. Given most kids do not have a set wake time during summer, getting up regularly at a set time needs to start before school starts.

Ideally, waking up close to the time a student needs to wake up for school in the one to two weeks prior to school can re-set the body clock. Falling asleep, then, will come earlier more naturally. Keep the wake time similar on weekends during the school year.

* Go 30 minutes at a time

The sleep clock does not automatically shift the day school starts. The body’s sleep rhythm takes time to adjust and it’s easier to stay up then to go to sleep earlier. Start by shifting their wake time earlier by 30 minutes each or every other morning. Kids will naturally become more sleepier earlier and be able to fall asleep earlier over time.

* Know the right amount

According to the National Sleep Foundation, kids ages 6-12 need 9 to 11 hours of sleep. Teenagers need 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep to function at their best. The amount of sleep adults need ranges between 7.5-8 hours.

* Provide the right get-to-sleep conditions

“The last two hours before bedtime should be relatively quiet,” Dr. Ibrahim says. That means no exercise, no caffeine, cell phones and tablets off and limited television. The sun still sets late in the early weeks of the school year, so use heavy drapes that darken the room at bedtime. This signals their bodies that it’s time to sleep.

* Take sleep health seriously

“I liken it to cigarette smoking,” says Dr. Ibrahim. “Smoking one cigarette does not kill a person, but long-term smoking does affect people’s health. If you don’t get enough/quality sleep for a long enough period of time, it begins to take a toll on your health.