It’s pretty hard to forget that magical feeling we all had as children on Christmas Eve. With every flicker of light that crept through our curtains we’d be peeping through our bedroom windows trying to catch a glimpse of Santa aboard his midnight journey.
With all the wonder and excitement that comes with Christmas Eve, it’s hardly surprising that most parents find it a challenge to get their children to sleep. As leading chiropractors in Southend, we promote a good sleep routine in children for a wide variety of health reasons, but even we haven’t got a sure-fire solution for the night before Christmas. However, there are ways that you can give your excited little ones the best chance of a good night’s rest:
1: Keep Them Busy In the Day
Even if the day before Christmas sees you busy playing “Super Santa”, take time out of your schedule to do some physical activities with your children. This will help them to get sleepy in the night.
2:Don’t Overwhelm Them
Bear in mind that your children are probably already full of excitement and anticipation so try not to overdo the stimuli on Christmas Eve (they have plenty of that to come!). Focus on doing one enjoyable activity at a time, such as reading a story together or watching a Christmas film.
3: Arrange a Time to Open Presents
Not many parents want their children leaping out of bed at 4am to see if “Santa has been”. When you tuck your little ones into bed on Christmas Eve, arrange a time to get up and open presents. Remind your children that the sooner they go to sleep, the sooner (your arranged time) will come. Doing this will also increase the chances of them sticking to your arrangement next year too.
And for all you grown up kids out there who can’t sleep on Christmas Eve? We’ll leave that down to you…
To book an appointment with our dedicated team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.