Easy Ways To Talk To Your Kids About Sleep
January 9th, 2009

There are several ways to talk to your kids about sleep. Proper sleep habits should be established early in life so they become habitual instinct early and potential problems can be avoided later on in life. Sleep routines started as a child generally carry over into adolescent and adult life. It is your job as a parent to instill in your children a sense of good sleep habits now, so they will have them for life.

With most children, when they hear it is time for bed, they try to fight it. You ever notice a small child starts crying and getting irritable when she is tired. Her body is telling her it is time for sleep, but she does not want to. She fights it as long as she can. Sometimes children are afraid they will miss out on something if they go to sleep. Sometimes they feel like they are being treated unfair because their older siblings and the adults don't have to go to sleep, so they fight it. They don't want to go to bed, even if they are sleepy and tired. If you don't have to go to bed, why should they. They might miss something or someone important if they go to sleep. The world as they know it might very well end if they go to sleep, and they will not have any of that! Soon enough they will grow out of that stage and then it is time to start teaching them important sleep habits that they will carry with them the rest of their life.

Some kids work best if you are just flat out honest with them. Some need things to be sugar coated and sometimes need a story to help them understand. Either way, the main key is to teach by example. You want to start your kids on a routine, such as: before going to bed, you brush your teeth, brush your hair, go to the bathroom, and then go to bed. The routine may be different for each parent, but sticking to the same routine every night will help your child develop good bedtime habits. You should do these things with your child, so they don't feel as though they have been given a chore before bed. Brush your teeth with them. Brush your hair or their hair. If you create an interactive routine, your child is more likely to follow suite without complaint.

Most kids do not want to go to sleep. You can try explaining why sleep is necessary. A good way to explain to your child the reason they need to sleep is (http://kidshealth.org): "The average kid has a busy day. There's school, taking care of your pets, running around with friends, going to sports practice or other activities, and doing your homework. Phew! It's tiring just listing all the things you do. By the end of the day, your body needs a break. Sleep allows your body to rest for the next day so you can play all over again.

Everything that's alive needs sleep to survive. Even your dog or cat curls up for naps. Animals sleep for the same reason you do - to give your body a tiny vacation. We all like vacations don't we. You also get to dream lots of wonderful things that you can't see in real life.

Not only is sleep necessary for your body, it's important for your brain, too. Though no one is exactly sure what work the brain does when you're asleep, some people think that the brain sorts through and stores information, and solves problems while you snooze. Imagine that, your brain makes you smarter when you sleep. You are going to be the smartest kid in your class if you go to bed every night!"

If you just talk to you child and set up a routine that is done every night at the same time. Your child will easily develop the proper sleep habits that will carry on into their adult life. This is a very important time in a child's life. They are molded into the people they will become. You can help mold that person by teaching them good habits early. Sleep habits are important for the health of your child

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