How to make your kids sleep well naturally?

Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for everyone, especially kids. It will not only help their growth and development, but also improve focus, attention, memory, and stamina.

As parents, it is always your duty to ensure that your kids get proper sleep hours every day.

However, considering the modern lifestyle, it has been often seen that kids fail to get ample sleep on a regular basis.

This can be detrimental in many different ways which is why it is vital that you get your kids to sleep for a minimum of hours every day. 

But how do you do that? Well, here are a few simple and natural techniques to help your kids sleep well for the needed hours every day: 

1. Ditch the screen

The first and most important reason that causes sleep loss in kids is the excessive use of mobiles, laptops, and other such electronic devices.

The light emitted from these screens has been proven to hamper the production of melatonin in humans, especially kids as their brain and eyes are still in the developmental stages.

Lesser or delayed production of melatonin results in delayed sleep, thus leading to fewer sleep hours per day and poor quality of sleep as well. 

2. Ensure good sleep conditions

In many a case, children take longer than usual to fall asleep or feel restless during the sleep hours because of poor sleeping conditions.

This may include cramped rooms, uncomfortable mattresses, dusty or allergic environment, high temperatures and humidity, uncomfortable clothing and much more.

That is why, it is essential that you ensure that the sleeping conditions are ideal.

If your child feels itchy, stuffy, or restlessness in bed, you may talk to a doctor to know exactly what’s bothering him or her. 

3. Create optimal light conditions

Ideally, your kids should sleep in the dark as this can help balance hormones in the body and help sleep quicker, longer, and better.

You may also use heavy curtains to block out light coming from the outside. If, however, your kid seems to be afraid of the dark, make sure that you turn off the lights after they have fallen asleep.

You may also use very dim night lamps or a Himalayan salt lamp that will not only emit a soft glow, but also keep the room clean and soothing. 

4. Play soft, soothing music

Young kids sleep better in presence of soft soothing music like classical, bedtime audiobooks, etc.

This is because the soothing music helps the kid to relax, thus making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

You can choose one by yourself or ask childcare provider for recommendations. 

5. Try some white noise

As with adults, white noise is greatly helpful in helping kids sleep better.

This is because white noise can effectively block out any other noise from reaching the ears.

Not only that, it also helps eliminate erratic thoughts that often contribute to poor sleep quality. 

6. Control water intake

If your kid has a habit of waking up at night to go to the toilet, it is probably necessary to control his or her water intake before bedtime.

Having a lot of water just before going to bed will make your kid get up in the middle of the night and falling back to sleep is often difficult and troublesome for your kids.

So, make sure that your kid has only an optimal amount of water and that too, quite some time before going to bed. 

7. Try calming tea

Letting your child have chamomile or passion flower tea a while before bedtime can help him or her calm down and be ready for sleep.

You can also try using catnip to calm down your kid.

This technique work great when your kids are too active or restless to go to sleep. 

8. Give your child some proteins and carbs

It has been seen that the intake of carbs and protein together helps in the release of the amino acid tryptophan, a chemical that has been proven to make a person feel sleepy.

Some such common food combinations include oatmeal and milk, natural peanut butter and toast, etc.

You may also give your child a serving of tuna, yogurt, bananas, cheese, eggs, etc. as these, too, have a calming effect on the body. 

9. Try aromatherapy

Use of essential oils derived from sandalwood, lavender, cedarwood, roman chamomile, etc. can be used to provide aromatherapy to your kids before sleep time.

It is recommended that you allow the aroma to fill up the room about half an hour before your child’s bedtime and let the diffuser work for atleast 15 minutes after the child has fallen asleep.

The soothing properties of these essential oils will ensure that they feel soothed and calm. 

10. Use the science of acupressure

You do not have to be a specialist to do this. This technique is very simple.

All you have to do is lightly massage the Yingtang point – the area between the eyes just above the bridge of your child’s nose.

Massage the area using gentle to medium upward strokes and you should see your child dozing off soon enough. 

11. Keep your kids active

Another simple yet effective way to get your kids to sleep at the right time and for the necessary hours is to keep them active during the day.

If your kids remain active during the day, they will easily feel sleep at night and will be able to sleep quickly.

However, you have to ensure that they stay physically active and not just digitally. 

12. Make your child feel loved

As parents you may love your child beyond measure, but make sure that you let your kids know that you love them.

And the best way to do so is to give them a special time before they fall asleep.

This may include reading out a nice story or cuddling them while they drift off. 

All these techniques are very easy and will help your child get good sleep every time without a fuss.