“Kids, it’s time for bed!” may sound like a blast from the past because parents are less strict about set bedtimes these days. According to CNN, enforcing a consistent bedtime is good for their health. There is a growing body of research that shows setting bedtimes improve the quality of sleep for infants and toddlers. Kids who do not get enough sleep can end up suffering from more health problems and it can affect your child’s memory, attention span, behavior and well-being.
When you give your child a standard bedtime, you are setting lifelong patterns that will improve their mental and physical health. As a reminder, toddlers 1 – 3 years old need 12 to 14 hours of sleep each night. Not getting this much could affect the development of their brain. You should avoid medication if your kids have a hard time falling to sleep; instead try behavior modification first.
According to some experts, using drugs like Benadryl to help a child sleep can be a good short term solution, but over time it could cause some kids to become hyperactive and their sleep problems get worse. Routines at bedtime are a better solution. Some ideas are taking a bath, cuddling, singing a lullaby, or reading a story to help your young child sleep better. Find a routine for your family and be consistent with it. Also, keep your kids away from electronics an hour before bedtime. Scientists have found that night-time exposure to the blue light spectrum from electronics can disrupt the body’s melatonin levels (the hormone that triggers sleep).
So if bedtime is a battle night after night, keep fighting. This routine is crucial to your child’s health and it’ll help your sanity as well.