Jan
After so many weeks of school holidays we’ve completely lost the routine plot. Our kids’ bedtimes slipped later and later, dinner times too, bath times became very optional and screens began to sneak into every in-between moment.
But – the holidays are over and it’s back to school time!
Routines and a sense of consistency are very important in young children’s lives – knowing what to expect helps them to feel safe and secure.
Add to this the very real benefits of sleep, and you’ll soon begin to agree that getting back to an earlier bedtime and normal routine is vital – for our kid’s well-being as well as for our own.
So as our kids all head back to school here’s how to get back to reasonable bedtimes too (according to the experts)…
- Make family mealtimes a priority. As often as you can, get your family to sit down for meals together. Also, make sure you set a time for these too.
- Get Moving. One of the best things you can do for your kids’ health is to show them that staying active is a normal, healthy part of everyday life. This will help them (and you) to sleep better too. Try to schedule a set time when your whole family moves together.
- Limit late screens. If your little one’s battle to fall asleep, make sure they’re not looking at any screens for at least 90 minutes before their bedtime,.
- Start slowly by getting kids to bed 10 minutes earlier each night until you reach their ideal bedtime. Younger kids can make a chart that lets them track their progress.
- Older kids may be more likely to cooperate if you set an example and stick to an early bedtime for yourself.
Good luck, and good night!
Have you got any tips that helped you and your family get back into routine? Comment below to share with us and other MUMs
Chat soon x
Couldn’t agree more with limiting screen time at night… Waking up becomes a battle… One time my 5 year old even pretended to be sick in the morning😂🤣
ITS GOOD IDEA TO GET THEM BACK INTO ROUTINE FEW DAYS EARLIER TO TAKE THE GRIPE OUT OF FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL..
School started today and last night was a real nightmare getting the kids to sleep. I am really hoping as the week progress they will be tired and will want to go earlier.
It’s been hard getting back to schedule but with loadshedding active it’s been a great help. I cook early so we get to eat our supper earlier by the time loadshedding start we are already ready for bed,it makes it easier for them to wake up in the morning without a fuss.
What works for me is that everyone has a role to play or responsibility in getting sorted for the next day so we all can get to bed soonest. Eskom has certainly put us in preparation mode with loadshedding all the time we also have to work around that. I already had the discussion with my son that screentime will be limited and its much more hard work progressing to grade 3. I agree getting into a normal routine again is very important for everyone’s sanity. Wonderful tips Mumbox!😊
Thank you for the article, my daughter is being fussy with now having to strictly limit her watching the tv.
Great article, Thank you.
After the holidays these rules will be set into place again.
Thank you for sharing. I had this discussion with my boys just last pleading with them to sleep early as schools open in two days time. So we agreed that we’ll push back the time by 30 minutes till we get to the ideal bed time. I pledged to get supper done early so we could also sleep early!
Appreciate this so much!
Thank you for sharing 🙏
My kids are completely out of routine. Thanks for the tips, we will be working on creating more focused routines going forward