Adopting a certain bedtime routine, especially for children, helps them fall asleep faster. A good point if you want to be on top the next morning. In summer, with the rhythm of the holidays, it can be more difficult to maintain these habits. Should we keep the bedtime ritual all year round? The answer is yes, but with some modifications.
A sleep routine has several benefits. It sets a framework and provides benchmarks, to accustom our body to recognize when it's time to go to bed. These gestures repeated every day promote faster falling asleep. In children, this ritual can take the form of repetitive daily gestures:brushing their teeth, reading a story, or even a quiet and privileged moment with the parents where they tell their day. In the bedroom, the atmosphere is also in tune:the light is dimmed, the shutters are closed, the bed is prepared...
Reflexes for better sleep
There are good habits to take and parameters to integrate into your bedtime ritual to have a restful sleep. Before going to bed, it is therefore recommended to eat light and to favor calm activities (reading, etc.). The room temperature, on the other hand, should be between 18 and 20 degrees.
Depending on the age of the children, it is possible to adapt the evening ritual and bedtime, especially for older children. In the absence of a school day and therefore of schedules to be respected, we can be more flexible in the schedule.
The youngest, up to 6 years old, may feel the need to nap during the day on vacation. The reasons are multiple:staggered rhythm which leads to a late bedtime - especially if the day is busy (visit, parties...), meals outside or sleeping elsewhere than at home, etc.
Be careful, however, to keep a sufficient number of hours per night according to the age of the children:
In adults, the nights vary between 7 and 9 hours to be complete and restorative.
At any age, we avoid screens at night!
If there is one parameter to take into account during your bedtime routine, it is the presence, or not, of screens in the room. Indeed, we can never repeat it enough, it is strongly discouraged to use screens (television, smartphone, computer) just before going to sleep. The blue light emitted by these tends to stimulate the brain and send it messages telling it to stay active. Additionally, screens can also cause headaches for some people.
In children, sleep is essential:it is in particular sleep that regulates the hormones of appetite and growth. It is during this period that brain development takes place, but also that children grow. It is also during sleep that the knowledge and information learned during the waking phases are consolidated, and that our body rests. A good sleep pattern allows children to be more attentive and physically fit. Conversely, a lack of sleep can have adverse health effects, including obesity.
This summer, do you want to keep an evening routine for your children? Good news:during the holidays, there is no homework time to consider. The rhythm is therefore more relaxed. With this extra time saving, you can incorporate leisure time into the evening ritual, depending on age:
In the evening, you can establish a longer privileged moment with them, where you read them a story, after the meal and the brushing of the teeth. Take advantage of the summer to teach them autonomy. In order to help the youngest adopt the right gestures for their evening ritual, there are a few apps to know. Happy Kids Timer allows, for example, to set timers that teach them to be independent and better manage the time of brushing their teeth, the time at which to go to bed, etc. Same principle for Choiceworks, which gives the possibility of programming the tasks to be carried out and the evening calendar.
At this age, children can read the story independently. Nothing prevents you from keeping a more intimate moment with them, to read a story with others or do a calm family activity, such as a board game for example.
For teenagers, during the holidays, it is possible to give them time on the screens on an exceptional basis. Please note, we are not talking about a solo tablet game session, but a collective activity such as watching a family film in front of the TV. Screen time should not directly precede bedtime. It's best to watch a movie after dinner, then devote yourself to reading, listening to music or podcasts before going to bed.
During the summer, the rhythm of the day changes. Children's bedtime rituals may be affected. Nothing alarming, as long as the number of hours of sleep is respected, and that the children do not show signs of lack of sleep during the day:daytime drowsiness, irritability, etc.
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https://www.ameli.fr/assure/sante/themes/troubles-sommeil-enfant/sommeil-enfant-evolution-etapes
