The tree is decorated, there’s snacks for Santa, the presents are wrapped and your kids are wide awake with no sign of sleep anywhere close. It’s a typical Christmas Eve conundrum, but the sleep experts at Vitabiotics have a couple of tips and tricks to help get your little ones to bed even on the most exciting night of the year.
Renowned sleep expert Dave Gibson said: “For parents with young children, Christmas Eve is possibly the most difficult night of the year for getting a good night’s sleep. The excitement of Santa's impending arrival overstimulates children, making it harder for them to fall asleep. Add the broken sleep patterns, early waking to open gifts, and the fear of missing out on the festive fun downstairs, and you have a challenging combination.”.
Don’t panic though - if you want a silent night, here’s what you can try. In the lead up to Christmas, try and slowly make bedtimes later. Holiday plans may require slight adjustments to a child's sleep schedule. Dave recommends making gradual changes to accommodate this, whether it's late-night visits or trips away.
“If you plan to allow your child to stay up a few hours later on Christmas Eve, possibly in the hope they will wake later too, I recommend staggering the change during the nights before with smaller steps so their body clock naturally adjusts to this time. Then, gradually undo the stagger from Boxing Day afterwards.”.
