I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Zarbee’s Naturals. I received product samples and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
7 Tips To Help Your Child Sleep Better
1. Cut TV and Screen Time TWO hours before bed.
Not only will you cut down on stimulation, it also helps if your child has a vivid imagination and keeps thinking about the show he or she just saw. No computer or video games either.
2. Have dinner at least two hours before bedtime.
While snacks are considered okay, avoid a big meal right before bed. It's important to give your child's body enough time to digest their meal. Going to bed and trying to sleep on a full stomach is not a good option for anyone. It goes without saying - no caffeine six hours before bed.
3. Consider a relaxing activity after dinner.
Maybe play a board game as a family, or some drawing or coloring.
4. Avoid singing or rocking your child to sleep.
It's sweet, and I did it with my oldest, but this also means if they wake up in the middle of the night they will likely need you to sing or rock them to sleep again. And again. So if you're doing it, it's time to phase it out now.
5. Establish a consistent bedtime routine.
Your bedtime routine should be between 20 and 30 minutes and ends in your child's bedroom. Consider a warm bath to help them relax. If you read a story (and you should!) choose something that is familiar and relaxing - so no Spiderman or Power Rangers.
6. Set up a reward system.
Each night your child goes to bed on time and stays there all night, she gets a star. After she's earned a predetermined number of stars, give her a prize. You can download your sleep reward chart from Zarbee's and get started tonight.
7. Sometimes you might need a little more than routine to help your child sleep better.
Despite the bedtime routines, relaxing stories and snuggles, sometimes we need a little more help getting our oldest to sleep at night. When our routine is upset by things like Daylights Savings Time, school breaks or family visits, we turn to Zarbee's Naturals Children's Sleep to give him a melatonin boost to help him get a good nights sleep.
Zarbee’s Children's Sleep is a safe and effective remedy for occasional sleeplessness*. Children's Sleep contains 1mg of clinically proven melatonin to promote restful sleep* in children 3 years +. The ingredients in Zarbee's Children's Sleep are natural, non-habit forming and won't leave your little ones feeling groggy the next day*.
While some melatonin can come from animals, zarbees has selected an exceptionally pure, synthetic source not derived from animals. It is virtually identical to what your body naturally releases as part of its sleep cycle to help promote restful sleep.
For parents who need a little extra help, Zarbee's Naturals is sharing a coupon code for $1.50 off Zarbee’s Naturals Children’s Sleep (and free shipping on all orders over $10). It’s available online at www.zarbees.com using zarbeessleep at checkout.
Jenine
We're incorporated the girls' bedtime routine into a cool reward system for our technology-age and game-playing kids. We use Habit RPG. I've set up everything they need to do and should be doing on a daily basis. They check off what they've done every evening and they earn computer money, xp, and more health or mana, They also earn random drops like pets (for those that LOVE gathering different pets!), hatching potions, and different foods. They hatch a pet, feed them, and if they feed them enough, they turn into a mount. You can also set up real-time awards. My oldest has 'seeing a movie with family' as a reward based on how many coins she's earned. You get to set the amount based on how 'valuable' you think the reward should be. Anyway, they love this system since the girls are avid computer game players.
If they were younger, I'd be using a chart similar to the Zarbee award chart because they love stickers and so forth.
TheMaven
This is why we are friends.
Jenine
Hahaha! *snarf*
Amanda Sakovitz
I never knew you should avoid singing before bed!
TheMaven
I know it's sounds crazy, but it's about the routine. It's bittersweet but for some kids if that is the ONLY way they can fall asleep...