Summer breaks are great for the kids but when they return to school, some kids have a hard time getting back into a regular sleep routine. Afterall, most parents relax the bedtime rules during summer break.
Tyler is still in his summer sleep routine because he’s still home with me until we move back to New Orleans. I have been trying like mad to get him back into an 8/8:30 bedtime but most nights, he plays around until 10 or 11. This means he wakes up later and of course, he’s not sleepy when his bed time roles around. I know, I know, I should simply wake him up early but the truth is because he goes to bed so late this means I generally have to start my work late and I end up working late. So I am simply too tired to get up at 7 am. I feel confident that when he has to get up early he will be able to. I’ve never had any problem rousing him. But I realize that if I don’t get him back on a regular schedule this means I won’t be able to finish my work and consequently won’t get paid!
So I have decided that no matter what, I have to work on getting him back into the swing of things. I have to pull out the dreaded alarm clock and then we have to get up as if he actually was leaving the house for school. His new school takes in at 7:40, which is 20 minutes earlier than his previous school, so we definitely need to acclimate ourselves to this earlier time.
Getting your kids back to their regular sleep schedule after summer break may take a few weeks but eventually they will adjust (and so will you!). Ideally, you want to start the process before school starts. This is the best way to ease the transition but if you don’t all is not lost.
What can you do? It’s important to plan activities that aren’t too stimulating so that when it’s lights out, your child will be able to fall asleep faster. The same is true for cutting out stimulants like caffeine close to bedtime. Finally, send your child to bed at his bedtime and make him stay in bed. At first, he may not go to sleep but eventually he will.
See also:
Who Gets to Choose the Bedtime?
Time for Your Children’s Back to School
When Should Kids Return to School?