Soon the lazy days of summer will be behind us and we’ll be back to the school schedule grind.
As a former teacher, my stomach turns when August 1st shows up on my calendar.
Summer is all about relaxing and making memories, which also means we tend to be a little more easy-going on our day-to-day schedules. Naps get skipped so extra activities can be squeezed in. Bedtimes get pushed back so more fun can be had. Getting back into the school routine is… challenging.
Helping your kiddo get back on track for the start of school is necessary so they can be in the best shape both physically and mentally. Here are a few things to keep in mind when adjusting your lazy day summer schedules back to the school year routine.
Beat Those Back-to-School Blues with Good Sleep!
BY ERIN WOLEN, SLEEP SQUAD CONSULTANT
Step #1: Factor out how much sleep your child needs.
According to the National Sleep Foundation (the thought leaders of all-things-sleep in America), our children’s sleep needs are recommended as such:
Pre-Schoolers (ages 3-5)
10-13 Hours of Sleep every 24 Hours (includes naps)
School-Aged Children (ages 6-13)
9-11 Hours of Sleep Every Night
Step #2: Factor in how much time your child needs to prepare for school.
Once you’ve figured out the sleep hours recommended for your child, the next question to ask yourself is, “How much time does my child need to get up, get ready, and get out the door to make it to school on time?”
After determining this time, work backwards to figure out what bedtime should be. For example…
If your child needs to be at school at 8:00 AM and…
needs 10 hours of sleep
requires 1 hour to get up, get ready and get out the door
Then…
a good wake-up time is 7:00 AM followed by an 8:00-8:30(ish) bedtime
Step #3: Adjust in advance.
Give yourself enough time to get your kiddo adjusted back to their schedule.
You don’t want to do this cold turkey.
Instead, move your child’s bedtime earlier by 15-30 minutes every 3 days until you get back to that perfect
bedtime.
Let’s take the example from Step #2 to guide us. If your child needs to go to bed around 8:00 PM but is currently going to bed around 9:00 PM, you will want to do the following:
Factor how many days it’s going to take to move your child’s schedule earlier until you reach the desired bedtime
In our example, the child’s schedule needs to move one full hour earlier; if we’re moving the schedule earlier by 15 minutes every 3 days, it will take 10-12 days to fully adjust to the new schedule
Days 1-3 — 8:45 PM Bedtime
Days 4-6 — 8:30 PM Bedtime
Days 7-9 — 8:15 PM Bedtime
Days 10-12 — 8:00 PM Bedtime
Give Yourself and Your Kiddos a Little Grace!
If you find that moving the schedule around isn’t enough to help get your kiddo into a good groove, we can help with that. We can hop on a 30-minute strategy call if your child is falling asleep independently and discuss the best way forward. Or, if your child isn’t falling asleep independently yet and you’d like to begin training, give us a call to learn more about our method. We’d love to be a part of your family’s journey towards better sleep!
Sweet Dreams…
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.
