If you have young children, getting them to cooperate at bedtime can be a challenge during the school year; however, during the summer months, the conflict typically intensifies.
In my home, bedtime battles are as heated as the Sahara sun.
If even a sliver of daylight can be seen on the horizon, my 8-year-old thinks she should be wide awake and as far away from a bed as possible.
So, you can imagine how brutal bedtime is when the sun rises just after 5 a.m. and doesn’t set until nearly 9 p.m.
Summer’s extended daylight is great for farmers, but for parents with kids who should be asleep at 8 p.m., it’s a real nightmare.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies should be clocking 16 to 18 hours of sleep per day, preschoolers need about 12 hours, and elementary school children need 10 to 11 hours of shut-eye in order to function properly — regardless of the season.
Try telling that to a dramatic third grader who swears she will keel over dead if she has to crawl into bed before it is pitch-black outside.
My daughter abides by a very stringent bedtime routine during the school year; however, during the summer, our schedule is less rigid. Still, there’s no way I’m allowing her to wake up at 5 in the morning and play until 10 or 11 at night just because a few rays of light bleed through her bedroom drapes.
In an effort to bring about peace in our home as the day winds down, I’ve been trying to follow various sleep techniques. For example, I no longer feed my child too close to bedtime. This is especially sound advice for children who are prone to indigestion. Also, I’ve learned that if you allow your kids to run around the neighborhood, race scooters with friends or slip-and-slide late in the evening, you are just asking for trouble at bedtime. Studies show that if you are physically active within two to three hours of bedtime, you may be too revved up to fall asleep. Finally, if noise (coming from kids whose parents allow them to play outside until dark o’ clock) or light disturbs your child’s sleep, consider investing in a white-noise machine and light-blocking shades.