The holidays can wreak havoc on your children’s bedtime routines and pediatric sleep consultant Tracy Braunstein says it only takes a few days for kids to develop bad habits.
The good news though is that good habits can be established just as quickly, according to Braunstein.
With most Montreal-area kids heading back to school next week, Braunstein said the most important thing is to give yourself a few days to ease back into things.
“Don’t start Sunday night,” she warned. “Maybe start this Friday to really start to establish those regular bedtime hours.”
Starting the day before will leave you scrambling and the children exhausted.
“Give them those few days to really catch up on that accumulated sleep debt,” she said.
Furthermore, Braunstein says there is no need to inch back to your regular bedtime.
For kids old enough to understand, Braunstein recommends having a straightforward chat.
“You can say: ‘OK guys, we’ve got to get to start getting back. School is coming up. It’s bedtime at your usual time. Do your normal bedtime routine.'”
For younger children who still nap, Braunstein suggests that lights-out for the night should be around 3.5 hours after they wake from their afternoon nap.
For older kids who’ve stopped napping, 12 hours from the morning wake time is an ideal time to go to bed, according to Braunstein.
As for many things in life, the best defense is a good offense.
And Braunstein says that holds true for sleep too.
“Make sure your kids are well rested before the holidays,” she said. “They’ll actually tolerate that disrupted schedule better.”
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