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How to Get Kids to Sleep More in Summer

June 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Less Sleep in Summer

Now that it’s nearing summer, the sun is staying up later and rising earlier- especially here in Scotland!  We live as far north as Moscow, which means that by July we only get 5, maybe 6, hours of darkness every night.  While these long days may seem quite wonderful, they can be especially challenging for families with small children.  That’s because it’s hard to convince a wee one that it’s time to sleep when it’s fully light outside.

3 Tips for More Sleep in Summer

Now there’s nothing wrong with slightly shorter sleep cycles, but most of us parents know how important a good night of sleep is for our children.  And while they may not agree, our children really do need solid sleep.  What’s a parent to do?  Well, we have found 3 things that help us.  Here they are.

  1. Routine.  Bed time is simply not negotiable.  If the kids stay up later it’s because we said they could, not because they asked or begged or pleaded.  Our children know that we mean business.  Here’s the routine- eat dinner, good play time as a family, then wind down with a bath and reading time.  No crazy horsing around the 45 minutes or so before bed time.
  2. Blackout Blinds.  Good blackout blinds are worth their weight in gold.  I’m not kidding.  Regardless of routine and us being the authority, a sunny room is a hard place to feel like it’s time to sleep.  Thus, we have installed removable blinds in all of our rooms so we can sleep more than 5 or 6 hours a night.
  3. Sound Machines.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- I HEART sound machines.  Blacking out the room is only half the battle- just because you’ve established it’s bed time in your household does not mean that your neighbors agree.  They have every right to have a barbecue or throw a party or just horse around, all of which can keep your sweet ones awake.  Thus, a sound machine is crucial in helping your family block out distracting noises while trying to sleep {and stay asleep}.

Summer time can mean shorter sleep cycles for children, but with a little routine and some great resources such as sound machines, you can help your family still get good sleep.

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Saving Naps with Sound Machines

June 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It’s one of those injustices of life- being forced to take naps as a kid.  You hate them, possibly throw temper tantrums over them, and make your mother’s life miserable…until college.  Sometime during that first grueling year, you realize that naps are a gift from God and you wonder why you never appreciated them before {and that you need to call your mother and apologize}.  Amazingly enough, you have not cleared the cycle yet.  When you have your own children, it starts all over and you get to be the mean one who insists on naps.  And you still want, nay you need, a nap, too!  Ah- the irony.

Now that my kids are 3 and almost 5, we have mostly dealt with our nap issues.  My preschooler attends a nursery while my 3 year old takes a solid and consistent nap.  And since I am expecting our third child and am virtually wiped out by 1pm every afternoon, this is a blessed event.  However, apparently our neighbor dog does not realize how valuable, how precious nap time is for us.  There is nothing quite like opening a window to a cool, Scottish breeze and relaxing into a peaceful sleep- only to be rudely awakened by pointless barking.  {That dog barks at flies, I think.}  Sadly, once awakened, it’s usually a futile attempt to fall back asleep.  As tired as I am, that ship has sailed.

Sometimes the best way to get nature is with a sound machine.

I will say that these kinds of interruptions and distractions are why I use sound machines.  There is no reason to lose good sleep because of noise.  It’s hard enough to turn off the brain so you can fall sleep- but turning off noise is another issue altogether.  By using a sound machine, you simply choose the white noise you prefer {many people love nature sounds- I listen to waterfall}, and you literally tune out the world around you!

Sound machines make it virtually impossible to decipher the unwanted noises that surround you so you can get better, less interrupted sleep!

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How To Sleep In (Even Though Your Children Don’t)

November 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Its not easy to sleep in when you have small children. In fact, I’d say it is almost nearly impossible. However, there are a few things you can do to ensure that you get to sleep in a few days a month.

Children having a pillow fight on the bed is not conducive to sleeping in. I'm not sure why these parents look so happy in this picture.

1. Convince your spouse/partner to take care of the kids on the morning you’d like to sleep in. I have heard of couples switching Saturday mornings, so every other Saturday you’d get to sleep in and on the opposite Saturday you’d have morning childcare duty.

2. Ensure that you can actually sleep. Unfortunately, even though you are not out of bed, your kids are, and if they are anything like my kids, they are LOUD. It’s so disappointing to be able to sleep in, but not actually be able to sleep because of the chaos ensuing outside your door. I like to employ a combination of white noise and ear plugs. The white noise that the sound machine makes masks the sounds the kids are making and the ear plugs are extra insurance. Don’t want to waste your free morning! Black out blinds help as well, but aren’t as necessary. You’ll likely be so tired anyway, that a little bit of light won’t bother you.

3. Lock your door so the kids can’t get in. My children don’t understand why mommy or daddy would want to stay in bed any longer than absolutely necessary, so they just walk on in and tell you it’s time to get up.  An effective solution is just locking the door. It’ll be up to your partner in crime to keep the kids from shaking the door knob trying to get in.

4. Enjoy. :) Now that you don’t take this privelegde for granted, like you used to before you had kids, make sure you enjoy the extra sleep time you get. You’ll need the extra energy next Saturday when its your turn to watch the children.

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White Noise Hack

June 25, 2010 By 3 Comments

Both of my children are used to white noise when they sleep. It is part of their bedtime routine and they really like having it. Last night my husband went camping with my daughter for the first time. We do have portable white noise machines, but without electricity, they obviously weren’t of any use. So, hubby devised a white noise stand in. He simply tuned his cell phone radio to a station where there was no signal and thus static. Voila! White noise. Granted, not the best white noise, but my daughter isn’t picky. We’ve successfully used an alarm clock radio in a pinch too. (If it is too “shrill” or “tinny” sounding, then you can throw a shirt over the speaker and it will muffle the sound some.) Again, not a long term solution, but it worked for the night.

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