Back to School Sleep Tips
A week from today, both of my girls will head back to school – one to first grade and the other to third grade. We’ll need to leave the house at 7:15 A.M. That will be an adjustment since my first grader has been waking up after 7am lately. For many parents I know, however, 7:15 A.M. would be a dream because their kids will need to be on the bus before 7 A.M.!
If your family, like mine, has been operating on a more relaxed summer sleep schedule (or maybe it’s been a relaxed year+ sleep schedule thanks to COVID), there is a good chance your child will soon need to be out the door earlier than they are currently waking up.
So what’s the best way to transition your child to a school appropriate sleep schedule and what should that schedule look like?
First, figure out your child’s ideal bedtime.
Back into your child’s ideal school year bedtime based on the time your child will need to wake-up to get ready for school.
The “exact” amount of sleep your child needs is the amount that allows them to be happy, alert and focused at school. It is recommended that children between the age of 2 and 3 years old get 10.5 to 12 hours of sleep each night, children between the age of 3 and 6 years old get between 10 and 12 hours of sleep each, and children between the age of 7 and 13 years old get 9 to 11 hours of sleep each night. As a point of reference, my 7 year old is her best self when she gets 11-11.5 hours of sleep and my 8 year old is her best self when she gets 10-10.5 hours of sleep.
In addition to your child acting well-rested, you want your child waking naturally in the morning. If you need to wake them to get ready for school, they aren’t getting enough sleep and I’d strongly recommend having them go to bed earlier.
Second, set your child up for bedtime success.
Avoid any screen time 60 minutes before it’s time to turn out the lights. The light from the screen can delay the body’s natural release of melatonin which can result in your child having a harder time falling asleep. A good rule is no screens for the rest of the day once you sit down for dinner.
The days are still fairly long. If your child’s bedroom windows let in a good amount of natural light, consider adding blackout shades until the days shorten.
Establish a consistent bedtime routine for your child. Having some wind-down time will help your child fall asleep faster. An example would be a bath or shower and then reading for a designated amount of time (15 minutes) in a dimly lit room. This can either be you reading to your child or your child reading to you.
Third, make the shift to the new schedule.
If you have a week, or even few days, before school starts, ease your child into the earlier bedtime. If your child has been going to bed at 8:30 or 9 P.M. and 7 or 7:30 P.M. is going to be the ideal bedtime when school starts, shift their bedtime earlier by 20-30 minutes every 1-2 nights as the first day of school approaches.
If school has already started and you didn’t ease into the earlier bedtime, just dive right on in to the correct bedtime so your child doesn’t build up sleep debt right out of the gate this school year. I assure you that after a couple days back at school, your child will be ready for an earlier bedtime if they need it.
Being well-rested will help your child (and you!) adjust to the start of the new school year. I hope you and your family have a smooth transition back to school!
If you’re struggling with bedtime resistance, you can purchase the replay of my Get Your Evenings Back Preschool Sleep Workshop by CLICKING HERE.