Christmas Eve Bedtime Sleep Tips
With Santa on his way and the exciting prospect of toys in the morning, Christmas Eve can be a tricky time for kids when it comes to settling down for a good night’s rest at bedtime. The excitement of the holiday and the prospect of finally catching their favorite bearded man scooting down the chimney is enough for any child to want to stay up as late as possible.
Not getting enough sleep for both our children and ourselves can cause the already stressful Christmas day to be even more on edge, so we wanted to provide a few expert Christmas Eve bedtime tips to help alleviate festive stress on the big day and make sure not even a mouse is stirring when the lights go out on December 24th.
Christmas Eve Bedtime Sleep Tips
Tire Your Kids Out.
As tempting as snuggling up by the fire to watch Christmas films is, one of the most sure-fire ways to make sure your little one is yawning once bedtime comes around is to get active earlier in the day.
Going ice-skating, having some fun with DIY crafts, or (if you’re lucky enough to have a white Christmas) going outside to build a snowman and having snowball fights are all joyous and festive ways to get them, and yourself, moving. It’s scientifically proven that getting more active can help people of all ages drift off to dreamland more quickly.
Wrap Up Santa Preparations Early
All the excitement around Santa’s arrival is guaranteed to make bedtime more difficult. Instead of waiting until right before bedtime to hang stockings, put reindeer treats on the lawn and leave cookies by the fireplace, do your festive chores together earlier in the evening. This helps create more of a moment around preparing for Santa and also gets the adrenaline and excitement out well before it’s time to settle down for the night.
Stick to Your Kid’s Bedtime Routine.
It can be tempting to let your kids stay up later during school holidays, especially on an exciting night like Christmas Eve. This can actually make it more difficult for them to fall asleep, not only on this night but also in the long run. Shifting away from usual bedtimes has a direct effect on our circadian rhythm – our internal clock – regardless of age.
Doing a bedtime countdown can also help reiterate that this night is no different from other nights. Giving plenty of notice for your children’s bedtime with 30, 20, and 10-minute reminders is a great way to keep things on track.
If little ones are struggling to settle, melodic stories and bedtime music can be great ways to help them focus on something other than falling asleep before Santa arrives. Our free audio app, Moshi, is a kids’ sleep app featuring bedtime stories and soothing sounds to help kids fall asleep more easily.
We have some wonderful festive audio bedtime stories, like Sparkle and the Twistmas Snowglobe and Willow’s Twistmas Tale, featuring sleepy sounds that will have your kids (and maybe even you) catching some z’s in no time.
Limit Those Sweet Treats
The holiday season is always a difficult time to stay away from indulgent treats, but too much sugar before bedtime can send your little one into a sugar rush making it near impossible to calm down. Be sure to set a time in the day where all sweet treats become off-limits, even for you. Children do as they see! It will be a lot easier to get them to agree to the rule if you’re participating as well. Try out some healthier Christmas treats to make this even easier.
And finally, Christmas Eve really is a very exciting night for our children. It’s important to remember to enjoy the little moments, be patient and have a very Merry Christmas.
