How to get kids to sleep on Christmas eve is a collaborative post with DUSK Luxury Bedding to celebrate their Christmas Sleep Hub. As an adult, I know how hard it is to get to sleep on Christmas Eve and if I find it a challenge then I totally understand why my children struggle! The excitement, the anticipation and the joy all create a fizzing feeling that stops sleep. I think that Christmas Eve and Birthday Eve are the hardest night of the year to get children to go to sleep. So here are some of my tried and tested tips for getting children to sleep the night the Santa comes to visit.
The benefit of getting the kids to sleep on Christmas Eve means that even if they get you up bright and early on Christmas Day that you will have at least been able to have some shut-eye. We all know that electronic devices, including iPad’s and phones, emit a spectrum of blue lights that disrupt sleep and it can be hard for children to get enough sleep normally without adding Christmas to the mix. Plus I don’t know about you, but I would love for Christmas eve to be a silent night!
Top Sleep Tips for Christmas Eve
Stick to your normal bedtime routine
As much as you can try to stick to your normal bedtime routine as we all know children thrive on regular routines so it will really help this time of year. So if you have a bath, book and bed then make your Christmas Eve bedtime routine the same Don’t worry if you want to add the magic, you can still add Christmas traditions to make it special, such as Reindeer food before beth, have a Christmas bath, with a festive bath bomb and read a festive bedtime story with the kids before bed. Also, a nice warm mug of hot chocolate will have a soothing effect and make sure you keep the same bedtime.
Get Outside with them
I always used to say that my boys were like puppies, they needed lots of exercise, good food and praise. Let the kids have the electronics and tablets earlier in the day and then exhaust excitable kids with some fresh air and fun. Take a family outing trip to the park, a walk to look at the Christmas lights or if you are lucky enough to have snow, then build a snowman and have a snowball fight.
Take time to relax
Christmas Eve can be really busy day and everyone in the family will benefit from some relaxation. Take a little extra time out to enjoy Christmas movies together or a family movie that you all love. For me, it was about making sure I pace the excitement and find a balance that works for all of us. My boys have always received a Christmas Eve parcel from the Elf which when they were smaller contained things to keep them occupied on Christmas eve without getting them over-excited.
Add Bedtime Distractions
I am a big fan of audiobooks for helping children get off to sleep. A story, podcast or relaxing music will give them something to focus on rather than worrying about getting to sleep, plus it will mask any noise around the house. If you have little children then using a white noise app often helps.
Other Tips for a Good Night Sleep
Other things that can help with sleep from the sleep experts include drinking Cherry Juice which has been proven to prolong sleep time and sleep efficiency for people with insomnia. This may be because tart cherry juice increases the bioavailability of tryptophan and increases your body’s production of melatonin.
Milk also contains tryptophan, which helps increase melatonin levels and induce sleep. Drinking warm milk before bed is also a soothing nighttime ritual. But not all warm drinks are helpful. You need to avoid anything with caffeine.
Pre bedtime Yoga can be really replacing and has been shown to help people sleep. Cosmic Kids Yoga on Youtube is really great fun and a fantastic way to calm your child’s mind and also be a distraction.
Personally, I think there is something relaxing after a bath getting into a bed with freshly laundered bedding and we are big fans of 100% cotton bedding like the Marseille Bed Linen Collection which I have winging its way to me!