Halloween is just around the corner and with all the fun, costumes, and candy, unfortunately, comes a lack of sleep. Even just one late night, caused by excitement and too much sugar, can lead to a domino effect of a disrupted sleep schedule for days to come. While Halloween is a great holiday filled with fun and jubilance, it’s best to set up a plan to help you & your kids recover from the night’s activities and get them back on a normal sleep schedule. Here are some sleeping tips to do just that!
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A Time for Trick or Treating
One of the most important sleeping tips you can implement to help your kids stay on a normal sleep schedule during this holiday is scheduling the night accordingly. If your child usually goes to bed at 8PM, try to stick to that schedule by having an early, quick dinner, followed by an hour or two of trick or treating. Be sure to have them back home about 20-30 minutes before their bedtime so they can unwind from the excitement of the day and get ready for bed.
Many parents will allow their kids to stay out later on Halloween, but don’t push it too far past their normal bedtime. Letting your kids stay up too late is the main culprit of starting a domino effect. Children are very sensitive to timing, so if they get to bed over an hour past their normal bedtime, it could lead to improper sleep patterns with them waking up in the middle of the night, which then leads to feeling overtired and irritable in the morning.
Routine
In addition to setting proper time aside for trick or treating and still trying to keep a normal bedtime, you may also want to think about implementing some of the same routines you do every night. This is one of the most useful sleeping tips on Halloween. It will help kids get in the right mindset of going to bed so they’ll fall asleep easier: this might include a bath or reading them a story before bed.
Cut-Off Time for Candy
Consuming a large amount of sugar before bedtime is a recipe for disaster. Kids already have plenty of energy as it is — sugar just amplifies this. Be sure to limit their candy intake for the night and remind them that they’ll want to save some for the rest of the month. The more candy they eat earlier in the night, the more likely they’ll come down with a sugar crash and fall right to sleep.
Infants
Halloween is a bit different when you have an infant. They likely will have no idea what’s going on and still expect to have their normal bedtime. Loud noises from children trick or treating and doorbells ringing can cause quite the disruption to an infant’s sleep. First, try putting on some white noise by your baby’s bed to help block out the outside noises. It’s also a good idea to leave a bowl or two of candy out on your front porch so that no one rings the doorbell and disturbs your sleeping baby. You may also want to leave a note on your door, indicating that there is a baby in the house and ask them to knock instead.
If your child is still struggling to get back to a normal sleep schedule after a rambunctious night out, you may want to consult a sleep professional. Don’t be afraid to contact Sleep MD to get some helpful tips or to schedule a visit.
