Have you ever taken your little one to bed then spent over an hour trying to get them to fall asleep?
Have they been bouncing off the walls and starting new games at bedtime?
Little ones can’t really go straight from playing to sleeping, they need your help to prepare for a great night’s sleep every night.
The best way to do this is with dedicated Wind Down time each evening.
Your evening routine may look like this:
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Dinner
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Bath time, brush teeth
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Wind Down time
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Sleep
Make sure your evening routine allows for at least 20 minutes of dedicated Wind Down time: but what is Wind Down time?
Wind Down time is when your little one spends time in their bedroom with you preparing for sleep. The room should be kept in low light, and devices like iPads and tablets should be put away. We use Wind Down time to teach our children how to prepare their minds and bodies for great sleep through low-stimulation activities like reading stories, singing lullabies and practicing breathing exercises. For babies and toddlers, you may like to include massage into the Wind Down time, and older children can try gentle stretching and meditation.
These gentle activities help your child transition from very active play, when their brains and bodies are working hard, into a more restful state.
Massage and stretching promote blood flow throughout the body, which helps your little one maintain the right temperature and relaxes their muscles, preparing the body for great sleep.
Deep breathing helps to regulate and slow the heart rate, reducing any feelings of stress and helping your child feel more relaxed. Use the humidifier on your Glow Sleep Easy to gently increase the humidity in the room, making it easier for your child to take deeper, more relaxing breaths during wind down time. Add a few drops of Glow Lullaby to further promote relaxation every evening.
It’s great to use your Glow Sleep Easy during your Wind Down time: it will actively enable your child to wind down for sleep more effectively.
At sunset, our bodies naturally start to generate the hormone Melatonin, which prepares the cells for sleep and makes us feel drowsy. One problem many of us have is that for most of the year, we aren’t putting our babies (or ourselves) to bed at sunset. Another is that screens and devices emit blue light: under blue light, our bodies have the same reaction caused by natural sunrise, which is to suppress the production of melatonin. This causes the cells to feel more awake and less tired: so it’s critical to put screens away for at least 20 minutes before bedtime to prevent this blue light from disrupting your child’s body clock and keeping them awake.
The Red LED Light Therapy of the Glow Sleep Easy has the same effect as sunset on the body, encouraging the brain to release more natural melatonin. Use your Red LED Light on the brightest setting during your wind down time, ideally as the only source of light in the room, to help your little one generate lots and lots of natural melatonin so they can settle to sleep more quickly and easily.
For a baby under 6 months old, your wind down time might look like this:
- Pop on a clean nappy and PJs
- Turn on your Glow Sleep Easy to the Wind Down settings
- Turn off the room light and close the door
- Offer a feed and place them in bed
- Rub their feet and legs gently but firmly while you demonstrate deep breathing:
- Inhale through the nose for 4 counts
- Exhale through the mouth for 4 counts
- Tell your baby a story or sing them a quiet song
- After 20 minutes, swap your Glow Sleep Easy to the Overnight settings
For a little one aged 6 months to 18 months:
- Pop on a bedtime nappy and PJs and hop into bed. If your child is 12 months or older, they can have a comforter or soft toy with them in bed.
- Read a story together
- Turn on your Glow Sleep Easy to the Wind Down settings
- Turn off the room light and close the door
- Offer a feed while in bed, or a drink of water.
- Rub their feet and legs gently but firmly for 2-3 minutes
- Invite them to join in with you for 5 deep breaths
- Let them settle in the quiet, darkened space
- After 20 minutes, swap your Glow Sleep Easy to the Overnight settings
For a little one aged 18 months to 3 years:
- Pop on a bedtime nappy and PJs, find a comforter or soft toy
- Do 1 minute of stretching together: reach your arms up high, touch your toes, roll out the shoulders.
- Pop them in bed then read a story together. Have a drink of water.
- Turn on your Glow Sleep Easy to the Wind Down settings
- Turn off the room light and close the door
- Invite them to join in with you for 5 deep breaths
- Let them settle in the quiet, darkened space
- After 20 minutes, swap your Glow Sleep Easy to the Overnight settings
For a child aged 3 years or over:
- Pop on clean PJs, find any favourite soft toy
- Do up to 5 minutes of stretching together: practice deep breathing while you reach up high, touch your toes, roll the shoulders, flex the wrists and ankles, and more.
- Pop them in bed then read a story together. Have a drink of water.
- Turn on your Glow Sleep Easy to the Wind Down settings
- Turn off the room light and close the door
- Invite them to join in with you for 5 deep breaths
- Let them settle in the quiet, darkened space
- After 20 minutes, swap your Glow Sleep Easy to the Overnight settings
Our app is filled with great articles and tips just like this that are all tailored to your child’s age, as well as all the recommended Wind Down and Overnight settings for your Glow Sleep Easy. The content and settings change automatically as your child gets older, so you always have the best information. Download the app for free now!
