girl wearing a hijab sits on a couch with her little sister on her lap and reads her a bedtime storyIt’s all well and good if you’re trying to fall asleep as an adult on your own terms. But throwing a young child (or more) into the mix? That can be a battle zone. If you’re a parent trying to get your kids to fall asleep—you’re familiar with how challenging it can be to get little ones to rest.

What’s more, they need a lot more sleep than adults do. But they will fight and resist bedtime as much as they would vegetables at dinner time. Unfortunately, if kids don’t get enough sleep, this could spell trouble for the whole family, not to mention—it could put a strain on your own sleep quality. So what’s the solution?

We wish that there was a magic button we could tell you about to make your kids fall asleep. Instead, we have the next best thing: some helpful tips and tricks to get your kids to bed every night.

How much sleep should my child be getting?

It’s probably helpful to be sure of the amount of sleep your child needs. Especially in the first few years of rapid developmental growth, the total number of sleep hours and napping habits will change. These are the recommended hours of sleep, including naps, according to the National Sleep Foundation:

Newborn

Age Range
0 – 3 months

Recommended Hours of Sleep
14 – 17

Infant

Age Range
4 – 11 months

Recommended Hours of Sleep
12 – 15

Toddler

Age Range
1 – 2 years

Recommended Hours of Sleep
11 – 14

Preschool

Age Range
3 – 5 years

Recommended Hours of Sleep
10 – 13

School-age

Age Range
6 – 13 years

Recommended Hours of Sleep
9 – 11

10 secret tricks for getting your kids to sleep at night

1. Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time

This is perhaps the most obvious tip, but it’s also one of the easiest to fall astray to. But the more you build consistency and predictability into your child’s body clock, the easier it will be to help them fall asleep when they need to. This means sticking to these times even on weekends.

Consider the age of your child, the recommended hours of sleep and the time they need to wake-up. Then work backwards to settle on a good individualized bedtime. Note that this is the time that the lights will be turned off and they will be ready to sleep. So you need to factor in time getting ready for bed before this.

2. Establish a positive and soothing bedtime routine

This is where a comforting and relaxing bedtime routine comes in! Schedule anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before they lay their heads to rest. Include necessary tasks such as a bath and brushing their teeth, but also include things that they can look forward to: such as a bedtime story or playing games (Simon Says, board games), watching the stars and making a wish.

You can even make tedious activities like getting into their PJs and brushing their teeth fun by singing each other’s favorite songs. The possibilities are endless – as long as they’re in a happy and loved state before they shut their eyes.

3. But don’t focus on sleep too much

Kids have trouble shutting their brains at night. Bedtime can cause anxiety in some children because they become aware of it marking the start of a long time away from their primary caregiver.

So instead of increasing that anxiety by insisting it’s time to go to bed, focus more on relaxing and keeping your child calm. Try using breathing techniques to put your child in a calm state of mind and focus more on the activities you will do together in the routine rather than just the idea of going to bed.

4. Spend time together

This really bounces off the last tip. Use this wind-down time to reassure your children that it is special time together, to snuggle, to talk, to laugh. Your presence and attention is comforting, especially if you’ve been working all day.

Vocalize that you can’t stay for long but insist that you’ll be there for them before they fall asleep. You don’t want to rush into bedtime for the risk of prolonging it further but you also want to remain firm in their bedtime and not give in to one more story or one more song.

5. Give them a security object

As mentioned above, bedtime means separation. And as tempting as it is to snuggle your kid to sleep, this can be problematic down the line if they wake up and struggle to fall back asleep without you (also known as sleep-onset association disorder). So instead, try offering a personal transitional object, like a doll, teddy bear or blanket.

6. Turn off electronics

This tip applies regardless of age or life stage, but it’s especially pertinent to children in these times of co-existing alongside technology. But it’s crucial to remove and cut back on electronic usage before bed because the blue light tricks the brain into thinking it’s still awake.

Kids are already high energy, so if they watch TV, play video games or scroll through an ipad before bed, they are more likely to stay awake an extra 30 to 60 minutes.

7. Create a relaxing sleep environment

Make it a sweet little oasis for your kids. Keep the bedroom environment conducive for sleeping. This means having soft sheets, keeping the room dark and maintaining a comfortable temperature (around 65 to 70°F). Check out our roundup of the best mattresses for kids to make sure your little one is getting health-promoting sleep.

8. Avoid late-night snacks

Or at the very least, do your best at limiting drinks or food that contain sugar and caffeine, such as: tea, cola, and chocolate. Try to feed your child their dinner at a reasonable time, because having food too close to bedtime can power them up; and you want the opposite effect. On the other hand, you don’t want your child to go to bed with an empty stomach. So if they have growlings of hunger, it’s okay to feed them a light healthy snack like nuts, fruit, crackers and peanut butter.

9. Help them get regular exercise

When kids get a healthy dose of exercise during the day (just not within 2-3 hours of their bedtime), they are more likely to fall asleep faster than their peers that are less active. Keep your kids active through recreational activities, sports or even family walks!

10. Set up a reward system

Reward systems, when used effectively, can be extremely useful. If you want to set up a reward system, either with stickers or small prizes, then use it consistently until it becomes a habit. Studies have proven the effectiveness of reward systems in improving kids’ behaviour and strengthening parent-child relationships.

Final thoughts

Sleep is vital to the health and well-being of your children. Establishing boundaries, healthy sleep habits and reassurance will help your child (and yourself) get the sleep that you need. Once you make a plan and put these tips into use, you’ll hopefully see improvements. Putting your kids to bed should be a source of joy, frustration.

However, if even after making adjustments your child is experiencing frequent nightmares or interrupted sleep, talk to your pediatrician—there could be something deeper happening and it’s worth getting checked.