You’ve heard the saying, do as I say, not as I do.
But when it comes to healthy sleep habits, what’s good for our little ones is equally good for us, too.
Applying the same behaviors to ourselves that we do when working to create healthy habits in our children will result in better sleep for the grown-ups as well.
To start with, get up at the same time each day.
It’s rare for parents of young children to have the opportunity to sleep in anyway, but getting up at roughly the same time helps to regulate our circadian rhythms. The same goes for your babies and young children. They will likely wake naturally following their own internal clocks sometime between 6 and 7:30 a.m. but if they don’t, you will want to gently wake them. Start their day and yours by opening the blinds and letting sunlight in to stop melatonin production and allow your bodies to get the message that it’s time to be awake.
Add some fresh air to that sunshine exposure and get out for exercise each day.
This gives us our daily dose of Vitamin D and more melatonin regulation! Now that summer is around the corner, consider swimming. It’s an excellent activity for young children. My children napped beautifully after a morning in the pool. And it’s easy on adult joints (including postpartum bodies) while promoting endurance and flexibility.
As nighttime rolls around, chill out before bedtime.
Turn off bright lights. Consider using amber lights in lamps which create a warm ambience. Turn off screens and move to calming activities like reading, telling stories, doing bedtime yoga. Wild fluctuations mess with our circadian rhythms so, like in the morning, do this at roughly the same time each night.
