10 Clever Daytime Hacks to Help Your Child Get a Good Night's Sleep

A child sleep expert outlines simple things to do during the day to help children settle better at night.

Posted on

20 January 2020

Posted by

Maebelle

10 Clever Daytime Hacks to Help Your Child Get a Good Night's Sleep

All Credits: PA

Children sleeping well is one of the holy grails of parenting...

With many mums and dads swearing by the bedtime routine of bath, book, and bed to help little ones have a good night’s sleep.

But it’s not just immediately before bed that steps can be taken to encourage an unbroken night for both children and parents – there are plenty of things that can be done during the day too.

“A positive bedtime structure is about ensuring daytime and night-time routines are a continual process, and not seen as two separate things,” explains psychologist and sleep expert Chireal Shallow, who runs the Baby Sleep Clinic UK.

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It’s literally painful how true this is. #sleepchildrensleep #longnights

A post shared by Amy Champion (@arbonne_with_amy_champ) on May 13, 2019 at 5:57pm PDT

“It’s really important that children are stimulated. This can take the form of education at school, or post-school activities such as games, hobbies, reading or seeing friends. School is one of the better opportunities for children to develop good sleep hygiene, due to the rigid structure of the day – they know when to expect break times for example, and the routine is structured and secure.

“Their home life routine needs to match up in the same way, so it’s more of a fluid process.”

Here Shallow, in partnership with natural family skincare experts Bloom and Blossom, shares her tips on what parents can do during the day to help children settle well at night.

1. Hide and seek in the bedroom

Playing hide and seek helps to create a familiarity with the bedroom, allowing children to take ownership of the space, and create a feeling of purpose and love. The more time spent in their bedroom during the day, the better association they have with it at night time.

2. Eating cottage cheese with raspberries

Feeding children snacks such as cottage cheese before bed may sound absurd, but it’s full of the amino acid tryptophan, which can increase serotonin levels. Top the cheese with raspberries to appeal to a child’s sweet tooth, as these are rich sources of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

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Further to my stories, I wanted to share some research regarding food and sleep! Sleep is a HUGE issue for lots of autism families. Including my own! I’ll be sharing info, recipes and tips that hopefully might help Today’s post is about one of the nutrients involved in promoting sleep - tryptophan!! Tryptophan is an essential amino acid (one we get from our diet) that has been suggested to promote sleep. It is a precursor to serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep and melatonin levels. It is usually found in protein rich foods like these; Seeds: pumpkin, chia, sesame, sunflower and flaxseeds Nuts: pistachio, cashew, almonds, hazelnuts Soya: tofu, boiled soybeans Oats Beans and lentils Cheese: all types especially parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella, romano, Gruyere Meat: lamb, beef, pork, chicken, turkey Fish & shellfish: tuna, salmon, trout, snapper, mackerel, snapper, haddock, cod, lobster, crab, prawns Whole eggs Eating foods high in tryptophan on their own is great, but it won’t impact serotonin levels. This is because tryptophan has to compete with other amino acids (found in these protein rich foods) to enter the brain by crossing the blood-brain barrier. Eating carbohydrates releases insulin, which removes the competing amino acids from the blood. This leaves tryptophan to enter the brain to boost serotonin levels. So in essence eating any foods from the tryptophan list need to be eaten with carbohydrates if you want to benefit from tryptophan!

A post shared by Autism|Nutrition|Healing (@thehappyhealthyunicorn) on May 31, 2019 at 11:57am PDT

3. A foot massage an hour before bed

A foot massage every night an hour before bedtime can help anxious children feel calm and settled.

4. Fresh air and stimulation

It’s important to make sure children are getting enough fresh air and stimulation during the day. For older children, the main barrier to sleep is anxiety and feeling overtired or hyperactive. Fresh air during the day can do them a world of good as being outdoors and surrounded by nature helps with sleep and relaxation. There’s a stark contrast to how we feel indoors in comparison to outdoors, and it’s about ensuring the balance is right and encouraging children to come out of their internal world.

How do you make a 1.5 year old go to sleep when they just won’t?

Any parent tips/tricks?
This kid is just not into it.

— Morgan- SassyHousewifeandMommy.com (@SassyHouseMommy) July 8, 2019

5. Choose activity time wisely

Where possible, it’s better to get most of your weekend activity done first thing on a Friday or Saturday. This doesn’t have to be set in stone hour-by-hour, but it could work to cut your day into segments. This will help you to settle children later on, as otherwise you may struggle to remove them from their friends and the fun.

Boisterous activity and active games are best done in the morning or early afternoon. Activities that relate to quiet time and winding down, such as chatting with family, reading books and doing puzzles require mental engagement rather than physical and are better placed towards the end of the day. These are more conducive for sleep and are preparing the body for winding down and rest.

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I'm sure a lot of mamas will agree!!! Sleeping in til 8am is literally a magical feeling!!!! Now should we hope unicorns exist?! . . . #parenting #sweatymama #sweatymamalife #realparenting #parentingtruth #fun #funlife #mamaife #mumworld #mamadays #sweatymamalove #sleep #zombie #funnytruth #parentingsleep #nosleep #alonetime #reallifeparenting

A post shared by Hannah McVerry (@hannahmcverry82) on Oct 23, 2018 at 1:28pm PDT

6. Cater to your child’s needs

Cater to your child’s individual needs and make sure what you do during the day suits them and their unique personalities. If they’re afraid of scary films, ensure they spend plenty of time outdoors and not in front of the TV or iPad. If your child is highly stimulated, then it’s a good idea to give them more sedentary activities, and if you have a calmer child give them more stimulation, so they gradually become worn out in the morning and tired in the afternoon/early or evening.

7. Communicate with their teachers

Children spend a lot of time at school, and this is the best place for structure and routine. Make sure you’re constantly in contact with their teachers and know what’s going on day to day. Find out what’s happening towards the latter end of the day where possible, so you can then build this into your home life routine. Planning and preparation is key – if a birthday is being celebrated at school, and there are lots of sweets, it’s advisable that you know about this, as ultimately, this could impact how your child sleeps that night.

8. Lie down with children on their bedroom floor

Getting a feel for what a child experiences in their room can be vital to understanding their experiences. Ask yourself if it feels like a calm space, or if there are any objects which may look different at night. For example, your child may have a backpack hung up, which may look scary in the dark – invest in a personalised one, which they can take pride in and helps them to feel unafraid.