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How to get an eight year old to go to sleep

How to get an eight year old to go to sleep starts as a routine on a nightly basis. It is the parents responsibility to make sure that the child has had a warm bath, the child isn't hungry when he/she goes to bed, or that the child doesn't take a 4 hour nap after they finish their homework and 2 hours later it is their regular bedtime. I would suggest that a child should run and play outside when the weather permits, thereby having used that hyper energy, when bedtime rolls around, there isn't a problem getting the eight year old to sleep.

Another point that I would like to make is that parents should curtail all sweets that children eat after a certain hour of the evening. We know that sugar has a negative affect on children and it would be wise to monitor their sugar intake so that they won't be too hyper to go to sleep.

Sometimes, when a child has eaten too many junk foods earlier in the day, it is possible that the junk foods has something to do with them not falling asleep right away. They could have a stomach ache or they may have a fever or they may be coming down with a cold. Whatever the situation is, the parents usually will be able to pinpoint what the problem is. Good and caring parents are like that. They know when something is wrong with their child or children. Make sure you check for a fever or other discomforts that a child may be experiencing.

Read the child a story while they are relaxing and unwinding in bed. Maybe they just want a little extra attention and the assurance that everything is okay. Give them their favorite blankie or stuffed animal. Sometimes children pick up on tension that may occur between their parents. If that is the case, it is necessary to once again assure the child that everything is okay.

Also, make sure there is adequate ventilization in the room. If it is too hot and stuffy, it may cause the child to not readily fall off to sleep.

Last but not least, kneel down at the bed with your child while they are saying their prayers and afterwards, tuck them into bed and kiss them good night and tell them that you love them. Sometimes it may take a few minutes for the child to fall asleep, so if you hold them in your arm and softly sing to them, they will soon enter into dream land.

If a child is unable to fall asleep because they are afraid of the boogieman, reassure your child that there is no boogieman in the room, under the bed, in the closet or anywhere else. Leave the light on in their room until they are sleep. If the child receives that reasurance from the parents, they will soon relax and fall off to sleep. Good night.

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