When it’s almost time to head back to school, but your babes are still hitting snooze until 8am and staying up way too late. In this post, we will discuss schedules and sleep changes to make before the bell rings.

Hi, I’m Lauren, founder of Sleep + the City!

I’m the founder of Sleep + the City, and we are going to discuss my top back to school sleep tips for the upcoming school year! Let’s get started:

Tip #1: Shift that schedule!

With the sun setting later, most parents will voluntarily allow a child’s bedtime to be a bit later during the summertime, and allow a bit of sleeping in. This summer schedule works great for most children, however many will struggle if thrust back into school without a shifted schedule. Two weeks before school begins again, start by putting your child to bed about 30 minutes earlier at night, and waking them up 30 minutes earlier in the morning. One week before school begins again, repeat the process again until you have your desired bedtime and wakeup time. Expect your child’s internal clock to adjust with schedule shifting in about 5-7 days.

Tip #2: Start an indoor bedtime routine.

Instead of staying out late in the neighborhood or watching movies downstairs, try repeating the same bedtime routine over and over every night which takes place inside the house, in the child’s room. For example this could be bath, followed by reading a book (or reading time for older children) in your child’s room before lights out.

Tip #3: Drop the nap.

For children going into pre-school or Kindergarten, some may still be reluctant to give up their nap. Two weeks prior to school beginning, try limiting any regular nap to 15-20 minutes, or skipping it all together. When dropping or limiting a nap, bump bedtime up earlier by 30-60 minutes.

Tip #4: Create a soothing bedroom environment, conducive to sleep.

We can’t force our children to sleep, but we can absolutely set the stage. Having a cozy bedroom to help them sleep all night is a must. Make sure the room is set between 68-72 degrees, is completely dark (a nightlight or Ok-to-Wake clock is great!), and white noise is running continuously to block out unwanted noise or bumps in the night. If it’s still light out, try using a black out shade to darken the room for naps and bedtime.

Comfort is also KEY to a young child sleeping soundly all night, and often times those cute cartoon sheets are much to scratchy and uncomfortable. I’m asked a lot about which mattress I use in my home, and I always recommend the Purple Original Twin Mattress (nicknamed “The Cloud” in our house!). My favorite all-time sheets (even for adults, we love them in my house!) are from Purple as well, and they are super stretchy which makes the whole “making the bed process” way less painful! Both the mattress and sheets will also help keep your child cool at night, but cozy enough in the colder months. (This portion of the blog was sponsored by Purple, and sheets were provided free of cost— however all opinions and thoughts are our own.)

Tip #5: Don’t allow snacks prior to bedtime

I get it, my kids ask for snacks all day long too, but it’s important that you tell your children the “kitchen is closed” about one hour prior to bedtime, or at 7pm. Digestion issues can pop up once a child is laying flat, and can disturb the falling asleep process. If your child insists on a snack, try offering a banana, yogurt or cup of warm milk— all which have rumored to help a child drift off into dreamland.

If your child is under 5 years and still struggling to sleep all night no matter what you do,

visit my Toddler Sleep 101 blog post here.

Once your child is caught up on sleep, adjusted to his/her new school schedule, and comfortable at night using your Purple products, there is nothing that can stop them from having the best school year ever!

Wanna chance to win everything that you need for a perfect bedtime? 

Enter to win the $5000 giveaway with Purple, featuring Rebel Girls and Olly!  To enter: go to Purple's Sleep Suite at https://purple.com/giveaways for a chance to win the perfect sleeping setup!