Helping your child get a good night sleep

We all know how important a good night’s sleep is and how it feels when we are sleep deprived.  Here are some ways to promote a good night sleep for the whole family:

 Get a good routine going and create a calm time about an hour before bed.  The calm time could start with a bath and to help create the right atmosphere you could use relaxing music and/or put essential oils in a burner.  Lavender in particular is amazing for relaxation and you can put it in the bath as well.  If you add magnesium flakes to the bath, this will help if they are magnesium deficient (see my previous blog on magnesium).

You could spend some time reading with your child in their bedroom after bath time and create a warmer feeling to the room by using side lights instead of overhead lights and you may even want to think about getting a salt lamp which adds a lovely safe, warm and gentle glow to the room as well as adding health benefits ( it’s a natural ioniser).  

Make sure that their bedroom is uncluttered and get them to help you make it into a cosy space.  They could have a soft throw on their bed along with some cushions and favourite teddies.  Maybe some photos on the wall of people who love them and favourite places/holidays/friends.  Some people also like dream catchers or mobiles from the ceiling.  Fairy lights or luminous stars for the ceiling.

Before you turn off the light you might want to consider giving your child a little foot massage.  If your child has ADHD or has lots of energy you might want to try using a blend of three essential oils to help with calming and grounding.  The three oils are Lavender, vetiver and cedarwood.  The combination of these three oils helps to bring children into balance and helps them the following day at school with focus and concentration.  Alternatively, you can use other oils but check before you use them as to whether they are safe and if they are calming.  Massaging their feet is a lovely way to unwind and relax as well as giving you an intimate, bonding moment together. 

If you’re child finds it difficult to get to sleep, then try audio books or guided visualisations.  These are both great ways to get your child out of their head and into the present moment, it stops them from worrying about things.

You could drop lavender oil onto the pillow and if your child loves crystals (I have yet to meet a child who doesn’t like crystals) you can put one under the pillow and tell them it will help with sleep.

Try Bach flower remedies as these can also make a difference.  Add a few drops of rescue remedy to their drink at supper time and in fact if you have an anxious child you can use this in their drink throughout the day in their water bottle. 

You could look into weighted blankets for the sensitive child as it helps them to feel safe and there are grounding sheets which are also known to help with sleep quality.  You can research these to see if you feel they might be a good option for you and/or your child.

Get a house plant for their room.  If you look on the internet you will find lots of information on which plant might be a good one for your child.  Jasmine plant is top of the list for relaxation so it might be worth getting one and trying it out.  Plants don’t just look good; they also make us feel good.  They clean indoor air by absorbing toxins, increasing humidity and producing oxygen

 Avoid technology at least an hour prior to bedtime and don’t have tv’s, phones etc in the bedroom.  Turn the Wi-Fi off when you go to bed at night as that can have an impact on our sleep