Babies and children adjusting to new sleep time routines

Mums Tips

Baby & Toddlers

Published on Friday, 13 May 2016 11:05

Last Updated on 12 May 2016

Amy Dunlap

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As the days grow longer and the evenings become shorter, it’s worth taking a few moments to think about the effect it can have on babies and children with regards to their sleep time routines. As young children can become quite sensitive to a forced change in their usual day-to-day business, with a few simple tips you can ease them in for the lighter evenings without having to completely worry about changing their bedtime routine.

• If you don’t already have them, this is the perfect time to purchase some black out blinds or curtains for your nursery; the evenings will be a lot brighter as Summer Time creeps up on us, which can distract your child from sleeping.

 

• Make sure you try not to let your children sleep in, in the mornings as this will cause them to be alert in the evenings which will make your life harder when trying to get them to settle. Also, try to allow them to wake up naturally, for example by opening the curtains slightly and letting the sunlight in this will be great for their sleep time routine as they get older.

 

• During the spring, the temperature begins to steadily rise, for which many of us are very grateful! However, a hot agitated baby will lead to disrupted sleep during the night, so this is the perfect time to start adjusting their bedtime clothes and bedding. Switching from winter clothing and bedding to summer clothing and bedding will reduce the likelihood of your baby becoming too hot during the spring and summer months. You can find many guides of what Weight/Tog bedtime clothing your child should be wearing. A good example is here.

 

• Try taking your children out for plenty of walks and activities in the late afternoon as this will tire them out when the evening draws in and will be easier for you to put them to sleep-no matter how light they may find it. For small babies, milk is a mild sedative so feeding your child can set the stage for drifting off to sleep, which ideally you should give them in the early evening or just before their usual bedtime.

 

• Getting your child ready for bed early can be a very simple and easy way for you to eventually settle them off for the night. Once babies and children know they are changing into their bedtime wear, it’s quite evident for them that bedtime is not too far away. Slumbersac baby sleeping bags with feet are a genius idea for this as they can jump into their sleeping bag whilst still having the freedom to walk around. Then once their bedtime finally approaches there is no need for any changing, you just simply pop them into their bed where they can drift off to sleep.

• For this time of year summer sleeping bags (approximately 1 Tog) are lightly padded and perfect for this transitional period in the spring and early summer. These bags are suitable for room temperatures between 18 and 24 degrees. For hotter summer temperatures above 24 degrees, or for holidays in hot countries, we recommend un-padded light weight summer sleeping bags(approx. 0.5 Tog).

 

We hope these tips and advice have been helpful in resolving any issues with summer time routines your family may be having. If you have any advice or guidance of your own which you’d like to share, please comment below!