When school starts, not only do our children get excited about new teachers, old friends, and a bag of new supplies; they may also experience anxiety, nervous tummy’s, and a feeling of insecurity. At times these feelings lead to sleeplessness, restlessness, and where there was comfort and sleep compliance at bedtime, you may now find yourself with a bit of a struggle.

Let me share with you a few ways you can keep the hair on your head from going grey by helping your children into a healthy sleep rhythm.

1-Establish a rhythm.

I am a big proponent of rhythm, and when we lose that sense of balance or harmony or whatever term is comfortable for you here, our children are the first to mirror it.

2-Keep them hydrated during the day so they need less water in late evening for less bed wetting overnight.

3-Eat dinner before 6pm and a brief snack right before bed if they need it. They’ll have the protein they need to avoid a blood sugar crash.

4-Utilize storytelling (not always story-reading). Children love to hear stories from the world of imagination even more than those on paper. Trust me, this is easier than it seems!

5-Get over trying to be perfect! At times our home is a little like musical beds…dad in Sunny’s room, Sunny with me or Sunny with dad in our bed, me in guest room…we’re all comfortable sleeping in any of the beds we have, and as long as everyone is sleeping well, it doesn’t matter much to me where they do it.

6-Are their pajamas 100% cotton or do they wake up in a sweat most nights? This can be an issue as more and more clothing are polyester and synthetic…these fibers don’t breathe as well.

7-Make bedtime the same time. Every night. This is a biggie. Bedtime is bedtime is bedtime. It’s the same when there’s a babysitter, when grandma is in town, when mom is at a meeting…it just establishes a nice rhythm and their body clocks depend on it.