Taking Charge of Your Child's Sleep

Creating a Sleep Sanctuary

By Sharon Moore

When looking for solutions for sleep problems, it’s tempting to turn straight to an expert. But the fact is that you know your kid best. As a parent, you are in the prime seat. You are there when your kids are born and for their first cry and first smile. You are there when they take their first steps, speak their first words, and eat their first solid foods. You are there when they get sick, have a tantrum in the supermarket, or crawl into your bed at some ungodly hour. No one will make your children’s future and best interests a priority as much as you. This puts you in the perfect position to take charge of your child’s sleep.

How can you do it?

Setting your child’s bedroom up as a sleep sanctuary is a simple yet effective way to start. Creating a lovely sleep environment helps to set positive associations with sleep. When these positive associations become the norm, then they become triggers for sleep. In other words, by creating a range of environmental signals, you can train the body and mind to know instinctively that it is time to sleep. It’s a positive self-reinforcing spiral. Here are some tips on how you can create a sleep sanctuary for your kids.

Get the light right

Light in your environment can assist or disrupt sleep cycles. If your internal clock does not register light cues, you may experience irregular or drifting circadian rhythms and either delayed or advanced sleep phase disorders.

Electronic screens should be kept outside the bedroom. The wrong kind of light, such as that emitted by electronic screens, will lower melatonin levels, disrupting sleep onset. Darkness signals the release of melatonin.

To address this, ensure you and your kids are not exposed to any bright lights or screens for at least an hour before bedtime. If you are able to dim the lights throughout the house, start turning them down an hour before bed.

Ideally, your child’s bedroom will be dark or have very soft lighting. If your child needs a nightlight, a small one in a rosy color light will be best. You could use a small soft lamp on a timer, which fades slowly to complete darkness as your child drifts off to sleep.

Keep the sound down

Harsh or stimulating sounds can keep us awake or rouse us from sleep. These include sounds from a TV, iPad or phone, family members talking loudly (or fighting), household noises like washing dishes, noisy neighbors, dogs barking, cars, wind, storms, and music.

The best strategy is to lower any household noise levels you can control. Start your dishwasher earlier or later; move socializing and conversations to far-away parts of the house.

For all those sounds you can’t control, do what you can to soundproof your child’s room. Soft furnishings like rugs and curtains go a long way in absorbing noise.

Some soft sounds can, however, ease children (and adults) into sleep. Consider using quiet, gentle classical music, white noise machines, or ambient nature noises like waves and running water.

These soft sounds can mask other household and neighborhood noise and set the scene for restful sleep. However, avoid relaxation tracks with irregular sounds like gongs or chimes, as these can rouse your child as they try to drift off.

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Become air aware

Air quality in the bedroom is vital for sleep health. Air quality can also have a big impact on your child. Is there a problem with mold, dust, or any other funny scent? Do what you need to eradicate it.

Air temperature also needs to be just right. The ideal sleep temperature is about 18 degrees Celsius or 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Warmer or cooler temperatures can contribute to sleep deprivation, stress, and parasomnias.

Adding a relaxing scent into the air can have a positive effect for some children. Choose scents associated with love and safety or essential oils that soothe and relax, like lavender or rose. Using a specific scent can help your child develop an association between that smell and sleep, making it easier for them to fall asleep. Most importantly, if there are allergens, they may impact the way your child can breathe well for sleep.

Reduce the clutter

Bedrooms should be a space for sleep, but many children’s bedrooms are also play areas, cluttered with toys, games, electronics, and other stimulating items. If you can, create a play area outside of the bedroom for all of these items. If this isn’t possible, packing everything up for sleep can be part of the bedtime routine.

Aim for comfort and safety

Kids need to feel safe, secure, and comfortable in their physical environment to get to sleep easily.

Children who experience regular nightmares can find bedtime to be very stressful. You can help them feel safe in their rooms by doing a safety check on the windows and doors or even “sweeping the room” with an “invisible light saber” to keep imaginary monsters away.

Happy photos next to the bed (cuddly, warm, smiling photos of loved ones, or photos of great holidays) can help kids feel safe and connected even while alone in their bed.

Choosing pajamas and blankets with soft, hypoallergenic material can also help soothe kids. Look for pajamas with no seams for sensitive kids, or pajamas and blankets with added scent for kids who respond to soft scents.

Setting the scene for further investigations

Once you have the physical environment set up along with great consistent bedtime routines, you’ll start to see a clearer picture of your child’s true sleep quality and quantity. Sometimes families are so busy that they need help with this too.

If you suspect that your child has sleep problems that run more deeply, then creating a sleep sanctuary will help you to investigate this more clearly. You’ll be able to distinguish between environmental factors, over which you have control, and the potential behavior, physical, or medical issues that may need further investigation and expert help. IF they need this, don’t wait! Bring your observations to your primary care provider for discussion.