4 ways to get your child to sleep

If your child has trouble sleeping, it’s an issue which can affect the whole family. Sleep is so important to our wellbeing, and we really feel it when we’re not getting enough.

Sam Parr, Health and Family Support Worker at Carlton Children’s Centre, gave us her advice for a good night’s sleep. So if bed time is a daily battle, or your child isn’t sleeping well, these tips should help:

1. Avoid sugar and caffeine

Caffeine can make it hard to get to sleep, so avoid things like chocolate, coffee and tea.

Sugar filled foods are not helpful either, so biscuits, sweets and cakes should be limited in the run up to bedtime.

If your child wets the bed, it could be because fizzy drinks and cordials can aggravate the bladder. Switch to a small drink of water for a dry night.

2. Switch off

Avoid stimulating activities before bedtime such as watching television or playing computer games.

As well as stopping your child from winding down, light from screens is also known to affect children’s sleep.

Try a relaxing activity instead, such as reading a book or a having a warm bath.

3. Be clear about bed time

Be clear and explain to your child what’s happening. Telling them, “it’s night time, go to sleep” or, “it’s morning, time to wake up” can help them understand what’s going on.

Put your child in their cot or bed when they are still awake and leave them to fall asleep. Staying with them can be a distraction.

4. Stick to your routine

Giving your child a routine is really important for a good night’s sleep. It helps their brain and body clock to know when it’s time to go to sleep, and when it’s time to wake up.

Tips for a good routine:

• Put your child to bed at the same time each day.
• Get them up at the same time each morning, even on weekends.

Clothes and pyjamas are part of a good routine, too. Always change your child’s clothes at night time and make sure that you change them into day clothes in the morning, even if you have nothing planned and a pyjama day would be easier.

Still having problems?

If you need support with your child’s sleep, contact your local Sure Start Centre. You can find more information and contact details on the Sure Start page of our website.

You can also get advice from The Children's Sleep Charity.