Sleep Aids for Children

When looking into sleep aids for children, first examine the child's diet, lifestyle and schedule.

Sleeping comes more naturally for children. Insomnia in children is not normal. However, children often experience sleep problems and sleep deprivation because of a combination of lifestyle sleep inhibitors. Rarely do children have a true sleep disorder.

The four main factors that influence your child's ability to sleep well and to get enough sleep are:

1. Diet

2. Exercise

3. Electronics

4. Schedule

Natural Sleep Aids for Children

Did you know that there are foods that stimulate our bodies and make it more difficult to sleep? Here are some suggestions:

* Have dinner three hours or more before bedtime and avoid big snacks before bedtime.

* Stop drinking sodas and drinks with caffeine during the day as well as the evening

* Avoid eating chocolate

* Remove sources of sugar from the diet

Exercise and Sleep

Children need natural exercise and fresh air to help them spend some of their youthful energy. When they get home from school before they start any homework, children need to run, walk, play football, or ride bikes.

After sitting all day at school, the worst thing for a child is to sit some more watching TV, playing a video game or surfing on the computer. Energy needs to be expended.

Electronics and Sleep

There are many studies that show the adverse affect of long hours of video or computer games. Agitation and restlessness are common among children who spend their free time in front of an electronic screen.

Especially avoid TV, computer use and video games close to bedtime to prevent over stimulation.

Keep the television/video games/computer/cell phones out of the children's bedrooms.

Children do not have the discipline it takes to NOT turn on some kind of electronic device that's sitting right there in their bedroom. It is just too tempting and it is unfair to expect this from a child.

Schedule and Sleep

Children often experience sleep deprivation because of evening and nighttime activities that don't promote good sleep habits.

Start promoting a good night's sleep for your child or children by establishing a regular nighttime routine, which is good advice for all ages.

* After-dinner begin to settle down with relaxing activities to settle the children down.

* Establish a firm bedtime and work backwards to ensure you have time to complete everything before bed. Reflect on the time the children need to wake up in the morning and ensure they will get a full night sleep according to the Sleep Chart Below.

* Create a routine. This prepares the children and the brain for bed with dinner, reading, bath, story, prayers, and lights-out.


Light and Noise

* Avoid nightlights if possible or use a very dim nightlight.

* Use a white noise machine to mask other noises in the house

* Play relaxing or soothing music or an audiobook with a not so scary story

Sleep Chart

How Much Sleep Does My Child Need?

This chart comes from The American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Sleep. The sleep time is for 24-hours, which includes nighttime and naps. Children's sleep needs will vary with age. Observe your children's behavior. Are they sleepy during the day? Are they wired at bedtime? Could they be sleeping too much or not enough at night?

- Between Birth-Six Months, children need 16-20 hours
- Between Six-Twelve Months, children need 14-15 hours
- Between Ages 1-3, children need 10-13 hours
- Between Ages 3-10, children need 10-12 hours
- Between Ages 11-12, children need about 10 hours
- Teenagers need about 9 hours of sleep per night

Continuous sleep deprivation has serious negative affects on children.

Sleep aids for children include more than behavioral options, however it is the best place to start. Before taking further measures, reflect what the child's routines and nighttime schedule. Does the current evening situation set the child up for a quality night sleep with a winding down routine?

If you find that these natural sleep aids are not helping your child or if they are still tired after the required hours of sleep seek the medical advice of your child's primary care doctor.