Five Tips for Summer Sleep Success

It's summertime! While the thought of the weeks ahead creates excitement of vacation days, getaways, trips to the beach, summer camps, and late night movies, it's easy to get carried away and forget about the importance of sleep! We certainly are guilty of it! As we enter our 'lazy' summer days, keep in mind these five simple tips to help your children sleep successfully during the summer weeks... because we definitely want to avoid tantrums and crankiness due to sleep deprivation!

Summer Sleep Tips for Kids

1 - Schedule. As much as possible, keep your child's school year sleeping schedule. Go to bed, nap and wake up around the same time. Staying up late is a nice treat for our little ones, but avoid letting it become a nightly routine. Also, keep in mind your summer calendar items - trips, vacations, late night sporting games, cookouts - that will keep everyone out later than normal. Set a reasonable bed time at the beginning of the summer and try not to exceed going later than one hour past their school year bed time.

2 - Rest. As summer schedules keep our days nice and busy, don't skip rest times! Our children probably play harder during the hot, summer months. Depending on your child's age, he or she likely still needs 9-12 hours of sleep throughout the day. It's important that he or she gets that recommended number. Younger children may still need naps and older kids should maintain quiet time. Summertime can get hectic, but try not to pack the days with too much activity. It's OK to say "no" sometimes to invitations or events! It's important we give our kids daily unscheduled, rest time so they aren't overextended.

3 - Routine. Do you have a bedtime routine that works well during the school year? Maintain that routine during the summer! Many parents choose to have bath time at night to help create a nice, soothing environment for the child. Some read books together or try make up stories. If you don't have a routine, now is a great time to create one! This will help your child get programmed mentally to go to bed.

4 - Comfort. Is your child comfortable in his or her room? If they aren't, then they're likely to toss and turn or have a hard time falling asleep (and staying asleep). Create a comfortable environment with a great kid's bed and soft kid's mattress. We can certainly help here! ;) Also, make sure your child is cool and dressed appropriately. If they are hot, sweaty, sun burnt, dehydrated, or in an uncomfortable bed, they won't sleep as well. Peruse our buying guides for great input on how to buy the right girl's or boy's bed.

5 - Setting. Let's try to help our kids avoid distractions in their bedrooms. Avoid toys and video games in beds, and limit the amount of time older kids may read in their beds. Shut doors, turn off lights and create dark rooms that help with sleep. If your children are sharing a bedroom, create personal spaces in those rooms so siblings don't distract each other. Here are just a few of our favorite shared bedroom looks - see more Rooms We Love:

 

 

Have a safe and happy Summer, friends. If you'd like help creating a comfortable environment for your kids, give our friendly customer service team a call or email! We'd love to help you out... because when THEY sleep, YOU sleep. ;)