After the long lazy days of summer, thousands of children are now back to school and getting back into the swing of things. One big factor in this is trying to get them back into the pre-summer sleeping routine. After weeks of staying up late at night and getting up late in the morning, the sound of the alarm at 7.30am, signalling that it is time to get up for school can become the sound of doom – I remember it was for me at least…still is!

from www.cartoonstock.com

Studies show that teens need at least eight and a half hours sleep each night in order to feel rested and ready for the next day of school but its ten hours for younger children. Sleep deprivation makes it difficult for children to concentrate at school or even cause them to fall asleep during class! A call from the headteacher about this would be something I know that all hectic mums would not look forward to!

It doesn’t take a scientist to work out that children need to be in bed by 9pm at the very latest if they are going to function properly – something which is a bit easier when it gets darker earlier on in the evening, a nightmare when its summertime!

So…how do you do this?! Well, friends have always told me that its trial and error when it comes to coaxing their children into bed earlier but I have taken their most useful hints and found a few tips on the internet which look like they’d help:

• Tire them out! Booking them into after-school sports activities will wear them out ready for when they get home
• Have dinner as soon as the kids get home school, this way they will think that there is a longer amount of time between getting home and going to bed.
• Give them a mug of hot milk – works wonders on making them feel sleepy
• A friend of mine swears by washing her kids bedding and nightwear in lavender smelling wash powder, she says it helps them become more relaxed when they get into their bed and helps them drift off quicker! Lenor have a great Sleep Sensations range for exactly this. Actually I read a discussion over at Raising Kids and they pointed out that washing towels with Lenor Lavender is great for soothing children and babies after bath time and Mums Like You recommends rubbing their feet with a few drops of lavender oil to relax them.
• Have bathtime at the same time every night with bath bubbles such as Johnsons Baby Bathtime, great for getting them sleepy.
• Buy some comfy nightwear for them to sleep in
• Create a ‘bedtime book time’ – e.g. you can say to them “At 8pm we’ll read…” which will give them something to look forward to.
• Play them a story tape – most paper backs are now available in CD form and the general consensus between my friends is that kids love them. I even remember listening to them when I was younger! A top recommendation is the Roald Dahl tapes, BFG is a sure winner with all the snozzcumbers and whizzpoppers!
• An idea for the future is that one week before the summer holidays end, start the routine then.
• Invest in some blackout curtains, this will help especially during the lighter months.
• Baby Not Included tweeted me and let me know that her top tip is to ‘race’ their little boy to his bed - he has to get ready for bed quickly to see if he can beat them!
• If all else fails try these two:
  o Wind the clocks forward so they think it’s later!
  o Use bribery – top tip from many of my friends! They have a star system where every time their child goes to sleep on time they get a gold star. At the end of the week, if they have gold stars every night, they get to choose something to have at the weekend. This ‘something’ can be anything from a trip to the cinema, choosing a little toy or their favourite chocolate bar.

Hectic Mum Top Tip: Make sure bedtime is the same time every night so that a routine is established – give them an inch and they’ll take a mile so be firm!