How to Prepare Your Family for Early Mornings Now That School is Back in Session

With school in session, the inevitable "Get out of bed, you're going to miss the bus!" will soon be ringing throughout homes all over the country! To help eliminate (or at least slow down the frequency) of this oft-heard declaration, families might give thought to some tips.

Remember that a child requires between 10-12 hours of sleep and though this may mean sending your younger child to bed as early as 8 pm, it is vital to your child's learning growth as well as physical growth to have that extra "down time". Even if your child does not fall asleep immediately upon hitting the sheets, it is important for their minds to begin to gear down and begin to rest for the next day.

When considering sleep conditions, remember that noise can both help and hurt a child's rest. While falling asleep to music sounds well and good, remember that any stimulation other than "white noise" (ie: that of a fan or air purifier) can hurt rather than help your child's brain in resting. Teens who fall asleep to music have been shown to have less productive sleep patterns and often times are harder to awaken in the early morning hours. Therefore, turn that music off and help your child at an early age to fall asleep without added stimulation.

Create a darkened environment for your child. Nightlights are commonplace with children and certainly have their places in bathrooms and hallways but can actually keep a child from falling asleep when placed in their rooms. If a nightlight is imperative in terms of eliminating anxiety for your child, choose one that is of a blue hue or is subtle in brightness. Remember your child's room is for sleeping and while it should feel safe, it should not look like a runway for jets!

When considering before bedtime snacks, lean towards dairy products, turkey/chicken or simply bread and butter. Stay away from sugars, ice cream and even fruit such as apples. Apples actually are one of the worst choices one can make in terms of a before bed snack as apples are full of fructose which is nothing buy "simple sugar". Save the apple for breakfast if your child is a bit on the drowsy side, bedtime is not the time for such stimulating food!

And finally, remember getting into a schedule for a new school year takes time to establish a pattern. Stick to the basics, have patience and above all, encourage your child to be a part of the new routine and before you know it, your child will be in the swing of the school year routine and will be happier, healthier and hopefully brighter for the effort!