Tips and Strategies to Help Your Child Keep the Sleep During the Fourth of July Fireworks
If you have a toddler or preschooler, you might be debating whether or not you're going to allow them to stay up past their bedtime to watch the fireworks this year.
It's definitely a personal parenting decision, but I'm here to tell you that, either way, you don't have to worry about their sleep being too disrupted! That’s because I'm giving you my top tips in this blog post on how to ensure they get enough sleep, whether they stay up late or go to bed early this Fourth of July.
Let’s say you decide to throw caution to the wind and allow your kiddo to stay awake late for the fireworks.
(Don’t cue the horror music just yet!)
1
Take It Easy the Day the Festivities Begin
I would avoid anything that is too strenuous, like swimming or a big hike. Instead, stick around the home and do arts and crafts; maybe watch a movie or just simply play with toys indoors or outdoors. We want to avoid any heavy physical exertion — save that for later in the day. You want to make sure that the kids have enough energy to get through the show.
2
Allow Napping Kiddos to Take Nice, Long, Chunky Naps
Do not wake them up if that's something you normally do. I know a lot of my toddler clients will wake their kiddos up early from a nap so that they can go down easier for bedtime (and I agree with this approach!) — but not tonight. Let them sleep as long as they want. That's because the later they wake up, the later their body's going to produce the sleep-drive chemical “adenosine”.
Adenosine connects to neurons in the brain and inhibits brain function, making us sleepy. Then while we’re sleeping, our bodies deplete the adenosine. So the longer a child naps, the less adenosine they're going to have in their system when they wake up from the nap. Consequently, the later their body's going to start to produce adenosine again and build it back up before bedtime.
3
Be Strategic When It Comes to Dinner
Stay away from a dinner that is full of carbs, as carbs convert into serotonin, the precursor for melatonin (the “sleepy” hormone). Instead, feed your child a balanced meal. You can still feed them a little carbs, but I would definitely make sure that they have a good portion of protein with a little bit of fat, because that is going to help to sustain them.
So if you took it easy on the day of the festivities (i.e. you let your child take a really long nap and then you didn't carbo load them at dinner time), then they should be able to stay awake no problem for the fireworks. Let's face it, it's going to be really exciting! So my next tip is going to be what to do after the fireworks. And that is: we want to make sure that we get our kiddos to bed ASAP!
One thing you could do to expedite this process is to put the kiddos in their PJs wherever you are watching the fireworks. That way, if you stick them in the car or stroller to commute home, they will hopefully fall asleep and can then be transferred to their bed.
If they don’t fall asleep, don't worry! Once you get home, do an abbreviated version of your bedtime routine. Of course, you're going to skip the bath because they're already in their PJs. And then I would keep it to one short book, a nice little snuggle, lights out, kiss and call it a night.
Heads Up!
How You Handle Sleep on July 5th Is Equally As Important
Let Sleeping Kiddos Lie
Expect your kiddo to be overtired, grumpy, and have more tantrums because they're a little sleep-deprived. It’s normal. When we're sleep-deprived, our bodies think that there must be some sort of danger. This causes the amygdala, the portion of the brain that regulates our fear response, to become overstimulated. This overstimulation of the amygdala causes any little tiny stressor to be perceived as a big deal. This is why your kiddo's going to lose their you-know-what over the smallest little thing! So just be patient and try not to stress!
I also want you to allow your kiddo to sleep in if they will — and hopefully they don't wake up extra early! Sometimes they will wake up very early because, if they go to bed overtired, then their body produces cortisol (the “alert” hormone) to fight the fatigue and then it produces it again early in the morning. This creates an abundance of cortisol in the system pretty early. Then, in between sleep cycles, they may become over-stimulated due to the high cortisol levels, and it might be hard for them to fall back to sleep. So, do expect they're probably keeping an early morning wake up. If that happens, try to keep them in their bed as close to their normal wake-up time as possible.
That said, if they're still sleeping at that hour, let them — don't wake them up! Let them sleep. (And I'm sure you won't wake them up because I'm sure you're going to be sleeping in yourself, too). Then when it comes time to nap again, let them take a nice, long, chunky nap if they will, and then put them to bed a little earlier at bedtime. Even 15 minutes earlier can make a huge difference when it comes to working off a sleep deficit, but I would recommend aiming for closer to 30 minutes earlier.
So make sure that you have a nice calm evening and that, about an hour before bedtime, you lower the light so their melatonin starts to flow and they can fall asleep earlier more easily.
I also have some tips for you parents out there who would prefer to put your children to bed before the fireworks display so that you can enjoy them in peace and quiet.
If You’re Putting Your Child to Bed Before the Fireworks Begin…
1
Aim for Lights Out 30 Minutes Before the Display Begins
You're probably worried that your kiddo may wake up because it's going to be so darn loud, and I get that! That’s why you want to put your child to bed 30 minutes before the display begins. This way, we can ensure they're in a nice, deep sleep — and when kids are in a deep sleep, they're almost impossible to wake up.
Aim for a good 30 minutes prior to the festivities and make sure that your kiddo gets plenty of sunshine as well as exercise so that they're nice and tired at bedtime (and won't pull any shenanigans!)
2
Mask the Noise with a Sound Machine
You might already be onto this one by now, but turn up the sound machine so that you have some louder sounds to drown out the noise of those fireworks. You can also layer your sound machines by putting either a sound machine or a fan outside of the door for double protection.
3
Project a Sense of Secure Leadership (aka: Keep Your Cool)
Last but not least, if your kiddo wakes up (fingers crossed that they don't!) I want you to remain calm.
First try to just give them a couple minutes to see if they'll fall back to sleep. They may still be in a light sleep, and if you go in there, you're just going to make things worse.
If you feel like you do have to go in, just stay chill. Go in, tell your child that, yes, there are some fireworks and yes, they're loud and yes, they can sound very scary, but not to worry because you're near and they're safe and comfy in their bed.
That's going to project to them that you have confidence in this situation and that they are with a secure leader who’s not going to let anything bad happen to them. Then they can relax and fall back to sleep.
Have FUN!
I hope that these tips help you to enjoy your July 4th holiday, regardless of which direction you take. If you have any more questions regarding the information shared today, please let me know!
If you're interested in learning more about working with me or my team of talented consultants, you can schedule a 15-minute Discovery Call. You can also learn more about sleep training your kiddo on your own with The Murray Method for Babies On-Demand Program here →
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Sweet Dreams…
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.
