Back to School Series- Early Bedtime

This week for our back to school series, we are going to focus on transitioning back to a school night bedtime.

During the summer it’s totally normal for bedtimes to creep later and later. The sun goes down later, activities run later, and there may not be anything getting us up in the morning, so we can sleep later.

All these reasons can make the start of school pretty rough. In order to help our kids transition smoothly, there are a few things we can do- starting now- so they have a better first week or two of school.

Start moving bedtime now. If you’re stuck with a 9:00 bedtime for your preschooler or kindergartener, start moving bedtime earlier by 10 or 15 minutes every 2 nights until you hit that sweet spot for your child.

Start waking your child at a consistent time each morning. If they have been waking at 9:30, try waking up 15 minutes earlier every 2-3 days until the time you will have to get up and get ready for school.

Lastly, try to make other routines, such as mealtimes and quiet times (or naps) consistent leading up to school. This will help your child’s body fall into the routine and be ready for school.

Consistency can be our biggest tool. If you happen to catch this blog post after school has started, don’t worry. Just add in consistency. Maybe for the first 2 or 3 weeks, keep bedtime and wake up times the same through the weekend to help your child with the transition.

If you find yourself stuck in a routine rut, click over to Work With Me to schedule a one time call.