We all live pretty hectic lives in terms of juggling the school run, extra-curricular activities, holding down a job and running a household before tucking the little ones into their highsleeper bed. Often, we push our bodies to their limits cramming too much into our days, which results in us feeling tired and defeated when it comes to bedtime.

As part of a good night’s rest, it’s important to take some time to unwind and relax before bed and don’t just encourage your children to do this, take some time for yourself too (if there are enough hours left in the day).

We’ve put together some tips to help your children relax and wind down before bedtime…

Our top relaxation tips
A healthy bedtime routine will help promote a good sleep pattern for your little ones. By implementing relaxing things into a bedtime regime and doing them at the same time each night will aid their sleeping. Try a warm bath before they jump into their PJs (preheated on the radiator, of course) ready for story time. Reading a bedtime story together is also a great way to relax your child before they drift off to sleep. Also, remember to keep lights dim as this will enhance children’s hormones produced in their sleep. Meditation or relaxing breathing exercises are also a useful way to calm the mind before catching those all-important zzz’s.

Turn off all technology
It is always a good idea to limit your child’s use of electronic equipment and screens throughout the day and especially at night time as smartphones, tablets and televisions can affect how quickly a child will fall asleep. Try limiting all screen and electronic devices to before the bedtime routine or at least an hour before they go to sleep.

Your child's bedroom
Again, keeping your child’s bedroom dimly lit or dark is a must when settling them for the night. Making sure their rooms are clean and tidy will also help to declutter the mind and getting them to tidy up can also be a great way to tire them out (win, win). In the warmer months, be sure to keep their rooms well ventilated as a stuffy room can agitate their sleep often making children feel unsettled. Utilising the bedroom space allows for the room to appear lighter and more spacious, invest in a Julian Bowen highsleeper providing you with a comfortable bed and multiple options for storage.

Tweens also need sleep
Tweens tend to enjoy long lie-ins and an even longer time in front of the laptop or TV. Teenagers’ body clocks are set later than children’s, studies actually back your teens in terms of them being able to stay up later. It seems they can also rise later too which is apparent when the alarm goes off for school! Encourage your tweens to refrain from being a tired, miserable adolescent and work on regulating their body clocks. Avoid lie-ins on the weekend and use a family trip as an excuse to reintroduce them to daylight – we’re sure they’ll thank you for it in the long run!

Hopefully, this post has provided you with some ideas to revamp your current bedtime routine and give your child the chance to unwind before curling up in bed. If you’re looking for a highsleeper bed or any bed for your children’s room take a look at our range of beds here.