The holiday season is a wonderfully exciting time for little ones! They get a holiday from school, there’s a special buzz in the air, relatives are visiting and the anticipation of Christmas morning is building. However, this time of year can be disruptive to their sleep cycle, as anyone who has tried to get little ones to sleep on Christmas Eve can attest to.
We all know that Santa cannot make his rounds at your house until all of the little ones are asleep all snug in their beds, but what if your kids have trouble calming down and getting to sleep on Christmas Eve? Here are some important tips to keep in mind that will help them to settle down and fall asleep on the night before Christmas, so that not a creature will be stirring in your home – not even a mouse.
Start the Sleeping Routine A Few Days in Advance
Even though your kids are on their Christmas holidays, they should still be in a sleeping routine with an established bedtime and a relatively early wakeup time. If they are able to stay up late and wake up late for the days leading up to Christmas, they will be adjusted to that routine and it will be harder for them to fall asleep at the appropriate time on Christmas Eve.
For a few days leading up to Christmas you can establish a bedtime and get your kids up at a relatively early time, so that their inner clocks have adjusted to the right schedule.
Keep Them Active During the Day
The goal on Christmas Eve should be to keep your kids so busy throughout the day that they collapse with exhaustion by night time and fall asleep without a fuss! You can go on a big family outing, play outside in the snow, go for a walk or play sports at an indoor centre. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as it’s active and tiring. By the end of the day they will be so tired that getting to sleep won’t be a problem, even if they are excited about Santa.
Give them a Warm Bath
There’s nothing like a warm bath to relax the body and help your kids to feel sleepy. It works because the drop in body temperature after the bath gives your body signals that it is time to sleep. You can make the bath even more relaxing by using aromatherapy bubble bath such as lavender, chamomile or another calming fragrance.
Limit Sugar Intake
Although it’s the holiday season and there are a lot of sugary foods around, try your best to limit your child’s ingestion of these sweets. The sugar will give them too much energy and they will find it more difficult to sleep.
Make Strange Surroundings More Familiar
If you are somewhere different than usual for Christmas, such as at a relative’s house or on holiday, try to make their sleeping environment as familiar as possible. If they have a favourite blanket or toy you can bring it along and you can read their favourite book before bed. This will make them feel much more comfortable and will help them to relax and fall asleep.
Make an Earlier Bedtime for Christmas Eve
An early bedtime can help to compensate for some of the extra excitement on Christmas Eve. Knowing that Santa is on his way will always make your kids want to stay up longer than usual, but if they have gone to bed slightly earlier they won’t miss out on as much sleep because of their excitement.
Turn Off Electronics Before Bed
After a certain time, all electronics such as tablets, smart phones, computer games and televisions must be switched off. This is because the glowing screens will limit melatonin production, which is a hormone that gives your body the cue to start transitioning into sleep.
Let Them Know When They Can Wake You
If your child is old enough to tell the time, give them a set time when they are allowed to wake you up so that they can go downstairs and open their presents. This means that they won’t be waking you up every ten minutes and asking if they can see what Santa brought them yet.
These are just a few ways that you can help your kids get into a good sleeping routine so that they won’t be up all night waiting for Santa to arrive!
