Why Your Child Needs a Sleep Routine

Sleep routines are the foundation for healthy sleep habits and getting the best sleep possible. While everyone benefits from sleep routines, your child is going through changes and growth, and quality sleep supports it. Sleep routines aren’t only what you do at night but include healthy habits, schedules, and practices throughout the day.

Keep reading for the benefits of a sleep routine for your child and how to implement it efficiently.

Why Your Child Needs a Sleep Routine

Sleep routines allow for better sleep, which leads to tons of additional benefits related to the mind and body. Since your child is growing each day, providing structured routines helps guide them and support them on their journey for better sleep. 

Sleep routines can lead to the following positive outcomes:

• Lower stress levels
• Good daily habits
• Better focus in school
• Staying active
• Understanding and regulating moods
• Better relationship to sleep and responsibilities in the future

Getting started with sleep routines may feel daunting, but it’s so worthwhile. A study showed that sleep disturbances in infants and toddlers can be quickly ameliorated within just a few nights after implementing a consistent bedtime routine, including taking a bath and doing quiet activities before bed.

If your child isn’t excited to go to bed or wake up in the morning, it is best to ease them into changes in their routine. 

So, how can you support your child in building healthy sleep routines? We recommend learning from the experts and creating a plan that works for your family.  Your Hatch can help. Rest helps your little one learn their routine and even provides cues to get started with nightly habits. Read on for some simple tips to get started.

Creating a Sleep Routine For Your Child

Firstly, developing healthy habits around sleep requires thinking about their schedule holistically. That means morning, daytime and nightly habits will play a role. Let’s break down some opportunities for creating a sleep routine that’s right for your family. 

Morning routine

Mornings can be pleasant with the proper routine. Whether your child is a toddler or in grade school, consistency is key.

Start with choosing a wake-up time that is realistic and can stay consistent. When you’re creating your child’s morning routine, visual cues can be helpful. 

One way to provide these cues and ensure they’re resting until the desired wakeup time is using your Hatch Rest’s Time-to-Rise routine. The Rest uses color to signal to your child that it’s either ok to get up or if it’s time to stay in bed. 

Additional expert recommendations to incorporate in your child’s morning routine include: 

• A healthy breakfast
• Washing up and brushing teeth
• Avoid rushing
• Having a chat about the day ahead

Daytime habits

How can daytime routines and habits impact your child’s sleep? Consider the following activities to add and limit in their routine: 

Add

• Get outdoors: Light exposure has a vital part in the ability to sleep. Children can benefit from getting outside more during the daytime hours.
• Get moving: Knock out two of these in one go with an outdoor activity during the day.
• Healthy foods: Avoid sugar and caffeine as much as possible, even during the day. A healthy diet complete with whole foods supports your child’s overall wellbeing.

Limit

• Naps: Once your child is five or six years old, they may not need to be napping during the day. 
• After dinner lounging: Instead of eating a heavy meal and sitting on the couch, your child can benefit from getting up to do a chore, taking a walk, or staying mildly active in some other way.
• Stress: Reflecting and hashing out stresses from the day can help prepare your child for winding down and send them on their way to good dreams. 
• Hanging out in the room they sleep: Many children play in their bedrooms during the day, but for some children it may be best to keep the bedroom a place for sleep only.

Nighttime Routines

Your child’s nighttime routine may start a few hours before bedtime. Like the morning routine, keeping a consistent schedule matters. Choose a realistic bedtime that you can stick to. Nighttime routines are essential to help your child wind down and get to sleep on time for the longest, best rest.

For guides to recommend sleep schedules by age, check out our Sleep Tips blogs for newborns, babies, little kids and big kids. 

Once you’ve decided on a realistic bedtime, you can consider the habits and activities to include in the nighttime routine.

Provide enough time in your nighttime routine to fit in important steps without overloading your little one. Keep the routine between 3-4 activities.

Here are our top recommendations for a child’s bedtime routine:

• Set up the morning’s necessities: This includes the next day’s outfit, backpack, and any additional items.
• Hygiene habits: Brushing teeth and washing up.
• Close any loose ends: Was there anything your child wanted to share about their day or the day to follow? 
• Wind down: Low energy, calming activities like reading, stretching, or listening to calming sounds like Ocean and Rain helps to lull your child into relaxation. 

Their Sleep Environment

Preparing your child for quality sleep is in the details. 

Some things to consider for the best sleep conditions are:

• Temperature: All ages benefit from a cool temperature for sleep.
• Light: Ensure your child isn’t exposed to too much light before bed, and keep the room dark during sleep. If your little one likes having a nightlight on, set your Rest to a warm hue like red or orange and turn the brightness down to 10% or below.
• Sound: Noise from your child’s surroundings can interrupt their sleep. Use your Rest to play White Noise while they sleep. It will drown out unexpected sounds to help them sleep their best. 

Keep it up

We want to acknowledge that building routines with little ones is hard. Finding what works for your family won’t happen overnight. Keep making adjustments and staying flexible to your family’s needs. Sleep will get easier.

Routines are just one effective way to help your family on your journey to sleep success. Let us know what’s working for you and your little one – connect with us on Instagram and Facebook at @hatchforsleep.