Early Nights: Back to School Bedtime Guide

This back to school season could easily be considered far more stressful than most. Unprecedented times can cause uneasy nights, for kids and adults alike. Here are a few handy tips and tricks, and a few excellent quality nighttime products, t1o help make weekday nights a little easier for all parties involved.

Comfortable Onesies

Predictably, we at Kids Onesies place great importance on comfort in sleepwear. One of our luxurious and comfortable animal onesies is perfect for helping children of all ages unwind after a busy day at school. All of our animal onesies for kids are made of a supersoft fleece fabric that is kind to the skin and extremely warm.  Our cosy onesies also come with a roomy hood, made of the same supersoft fleece, great for relaxing and chilling in the evenings.  To purchase one of our range of kids and adults matching animal onesies, including our best selling Glitter Unicorn Fleece Onesie and Childs Fox Onesie, check out our range today.

Consistent Routine Benefits

When putting the young ones to sleep, consistency is key. A regular and well-planned kids bedtime routine helps kids set into a regular sleeping schedule. Sticking to a schedule, with minimal variation helps ensure kids are getting the correct amount of sleep, and maximises its effectiveness. For parents, whilst a regular schedule may be hard to maintain, a predefined bedtime and a “wind-down” period that lines up closely with your child can help you effectively manage after-work time and keep you well rested! Find below an example kids bedtime routine chart that might inspire you.

This is a good schedule for ages 5-7 but is completely flexible based on age. For example, moving this schedule up for bedtime at 9:45pm would be an ideal bedtime routine for tweens, and replacing storytime with extra personal reading time might be perfect for older children who prefer some personal time before bed.

How to Avoid Stimulating Activities Before Bed

Stimulating activities, such as TV, phones and gaming can severely throw off you and your children’s sleep schedules. These activities stimulate the brain, inhibiting your ability to wind down and some studies indicate that the blue light phone screens emit can delay the release of the sleep-inducing chemical melatonin. Before bed is the perfect time to put down the phone, turn off the TV and catch up on some calming activities. For kids, this could include:

• Storytime: Reading a story to young children encourages early literacy and communication skills, encourage imagination and set clear boundaries between the real and ‘make-believe’. Reading to oneself is a perfect way to learn and unwind at the same time for all ages.
• Puzzles: Building blocks and solving jigsaws is a perfect way to unwind and build a closer relationship for both children and their parents. Solving puzzles together encourages communication, co-operation and intelligent thinking. This 2017 study shows us that Puzzles can have a tremendous benefit on cognitive enrichment, and maybe the perfect way to help your child unwind!
• Communication: effective communication is invaluable for younger children across the board. Simply talking for a sustained period with your child before bed can help improve social queues and emotional intelligence, build a stronger bond and alleviate bedtime anxiety.