This fortnight, Basic Fun is taking over the site to celebrate their adorable collection of Care Bears toys. As part of the takeover, we’ve introduced the toys in this fun and colourful collection, which you can find here. But keep reading a while longer, as one of the plush characters in range has got us thinking about an important topic – bedtime routines.
Bedtime Care Bear is a very sleepy bear, and albeit cute, he’s a reminder of the importance of good quality sleep. You can find out exactly how much sleep the NHS advises here, but we all know from experience that if our kids don’t get a good night’s sleep, they get cranky, which in turn makes us parents pretty cranky too! Add this to the importance of sleep for both mental and physical development, and bedtime becomes a significant event in every child’s daily routine!
So what can parents do to help establish a good bedtime routine? As part of the Basic Fun Care Bears takeover, we’ve got some top tips to help prevent those bedtime battles and get your children sleeping like little angels!
Now, before we dive in, we must recognise that every child is different and what works for one may not work for another, so be sure to discard techniques that don’t work for your child and embrace those that do! Taking this former point into account, here are out top suggestions for beating bedtime blues:
- Be consistent with a child’s bedtime routine – it may change as they get older, but each day you should aim to start it at the same time and go in the same order. For example, a toddler’s routine may start at 7pm when you run their bath. They may then put on their pyjamas, brush their teeth, read a bedtime story, and get into bed with their favourite soft toy, where they would then get a final kiss goodnight.
- Before bedtime, run your child a warm, not hot, bath to help them relax.
- Ensure that lighting is not too bright before bedtime; this will encourage the body to produce the sleep hormone, melatonin.
- Avoid using screens an hour before bedroom, as this can affect how easily children (and adults!) drop off to sleep.
- Be sure to include dental hygiene and going to the bathroom in your child’s routine.
- Children can find it soothing to read a bedtime story before they go to sleep, while others may enjoy listening to some calming music.
- Keep your child’s bedroom at a comfortable temperature – not too hot and not too cold.
- Use a night light if your child is not fond of the dark.
- A security object, like the Bedtime Care Bear from Basic Fun or a comfort blanket, can be an important part of a good bedtime routine for toddlers and pre-schoolers.
Make sure you explore the site to find out more about the Care Bears collection from Basic Fun, and don’t miss your chance to enter our awesome competition here.
When you’ve done all that, head over to Tiny Pop to watch the new series, Care Bears: Unlock the Magic!
