Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to another guest blogger, Zara Lewis.  Getting the little ones to bed using a routine is a topic of debate amongst parents and something many struggle with. This post highlights five things you can do to make going to sleep as smooth as possible for your children. Thank you Zara, over to you!

5 Tips for a Good Nighttime Routine

Kids’ bedtime routines are not always an easy task. More often than not, they can be pretty stubborn and demand watching TV before bed or protest going to bed or continuously ask for candy and snacks. With babies, the struggles take on a different form: constant crying due to cramps or their disrupted sleeping schedule can devoid you from your own sleeping hours, too.

For babies and toddlers, sleep is crucial: it ensures growth and brain development, a healthy functioning immune system, good mood, enough energy, and much more. Here are five tips on how to establishing a good bedtime routine for your children.

1) Replace screen time with story time

You can’t really blame your kids for demanding to play with tech-gadgets or watch TV before bed. They are growing up in a much different world than you did, with technology having a huge impact on their lives. Still, as a parent – you have to set some boundaries. Screen time before bed makes it harder to fall asleep. You can help your little ones develop their imagination by introducing them to stories. Reading stories before bed will also strengthen the bond between the two of you. You can even use different reading voices to make it more fun. Listening to your soothing voice will help them fall asleep and it is a great first step towards developing their love for books and reading.

2) Tuck them in always at the same time

In order to establish a good daytime-nighttime rhythm, make sure you get your children to sleep same time every night. Keep in mind that little ones need more hours of sleep, so you should get them in their pajamas early enough. Optimal bedtime is around 7pm or 8 pm, depending on their age. This type of consistency will help them wind down and build a firm sleeping habit. Use the power of your touch and stroke their hair to gently put them to sleep.

3) Make their bedroom sleep-friendly

Our surroundings influence our sleep significantly. Of course, we all know that light and noise are the distracting factors, but there is much more to it. Even the color of the bedroom walls and the tidiness of a room can affect one’s sleep. Make sure your child’s room isn’t messy (e.g. toys and clothes everywhere) and that it stays clean. The most important factor for a good night sleep is the air quality. This includes humidity, temperature and air freshness. In addition to disrupting one’s sleep, dry air can even cause health issues, so people tend to turn to some DIY solutions to increase the level of humidity, such as putting a wet towel over the radiator. These solutions are only temporary and don’t really function that well, so you may want to invest in a humidifier that will ensure a healthy and firm sleep. Also, open up the windows and let the fresh air fill up the room.

4) Warm baths to help them relax

Warm baths are a great way to prepare your kids for bedtime. In addition to hygienic reasons and the fact that feeling clean is soothing and relaxing, warm baths regulate body temperature. When your child’s whole body soaks for a while in a warm bath, its body temperature rises. After the bath, the temperature cools down, which relaxes them and puts them to sleep.

5) No candy before sleep

Although it’s hard to resist your child’s pleading eyes, you have to stay strong and not give them candy before bed. If they do want a snack, opt for the healthy ones that won’t disrupt their sleeping cycle.

There you have it: five tips for your kid’s better night sleep. It’s important to establish these night rituals, so that your young one learns good sleeping habits and grows into a healthy, well-balanced person.

More about the Guest Blogger: Zara Lewis

“Zara Lewis is a mom, designer and a regular contributor to highstylife.com , devoted to implementing healthy life habits in every aspect of life of her family and friends. She seeks for beauty in everything that surrounds her. Will start a blog about it once. Until then writes her diary occasionally.

Romantic soul and tech geek in one body. She enjoys hiking, cycling, yoga and cooking.”

For regular updates, follow her on Twitter @ZaraELewis