Has bedtime become a long, stressful nighttime experience? When you’re already tired from a long day of work and responsibilities, the last thing you want is an extended bedtime routine with a restless kid. Fortunately, with a few intentional choices, bedtime can become a faster, more effective way to close out the day.
When you commit to a routine, you can help your kids feel more comfortable and relaxed. Read on as we guide you through the best strategies to create a calm bedtime in 30 minutes.
Declutter Before Bed
Before you do anything else, take some time to declutter with your child. Don’t worry about scrubbing every surface or sweeping. Just focus on storing big items and bringing a little more order to your space.
Many kids respond well to using timers for tasks, so set one for two or three minutes. During that time, help your child return their toys to storage containers and place books on their shelves. Throw away trash and put away crayons.
Simple actions can help signal that playtime is ending. Place your child’s pajamas on their bed, too, to help them shift their mindset.
Wind Down Screen Time
While your child might enjoy watching a favorite TV show or song online, it’s best to stop screen time around 30 minutes before bedtime. The blue light from screens can disrupt your sleep and wake cycle, making it harder to fall asleep.
Ending screen time earlier can help your child settle down. Encourage your child to do a puzzle or use building blocks. If needed, use a timer to alert your child that it’s time to stop using a tablet or watching TV.
While this habit can be hard to enforce initially, it will get easier over time. Just make sure you’re consistent with the cutoff time from one night to the next.
Lower the Lights
Turning down the lights can be another effective way to help your child know bedtime is near. Gentle lighting can help the brain calm down and trigger natural sleep hormones.
If you have a dimmer switch on overhead lights, use it. Or turn them off completely and use lamps. Make sure all blinds are closed, and aim to use warm bulbs in your lights when possible.
Consider Natural Sleep Supports
Sometimes, the most committed routines won’t be enough to help with sleep. Adults busy trying to help their kids get to sleep more easily could be struggling with sleep, too. Heavy workloads, long commutes, and stressful schedules can make decompressing and sleeping well a tall order.
Natural sleep supports can provide a solution. If you’re struggling with sleep, you may want to combine magnesium and melatonin for sleep improvements.
Magnesium promotes relaxation and keeps the nervous system calmer. Melatonin helps your body know that it needs rest. While both supplements can be helpful, it’s important to look at dosage and personal health considerations before adding these supplements to your routine.
Take a Quick Shower
For adults, there’s nothing quite as relaxing as a warm shower before bed. Warm water will help your body relax and ease a stressed mind. For kids, warm baths can be an effective way to make bedtime more appealing.
Draw a bath and add some fragrant soaps that help calm your child. Introduce some toys to make the experience fun. And aim to keep the bath under ten minutes for maximum impact.
After the bath, help your child get into their pajamas and read them a story. A favorite picture book or chapter from a light-hearted story could be a good choice. Dim the lights and play some gentle music so their mind and body can prepare for sleep.
Try a Short Breathing Game
Breathing exercises are another great way to help you feel more relaxed before bed. They can reduce your heart rate and lower blood pressure, and they can increase melatonin. Focused breathing can also help your mind slow down if it’s hard to turn off rampant thoughts.
Your kids can benefit, too. You can do the balloon breath exercise, for example, where kids will breathe in through their nose and let their belly expand. Once it looks like a balloon, they can breathe out the air through their mouth.
Doing this exercise a few times can reduce physical tightness and help with relaxation. Both kids and adults can benefit from these exercises before turning out the lights.
Make Bedtime Better in 30 Minutes
Bedtime doesn’t have to feel like a long hassle. When you’re consistent about doing simple steps, like dimming lights or avoiding screens, you can help your kids prepare for bed. Focus on maintaining consistency from one night to the next, and try breathing exercises or calming activities.
With a little persistence, you’ll be able to create a more harmonious bedtime experience for everyone in your household.
