Friday 10 April 2015

Good Habits Before Bedtime

Good Habits Before Bedtime


This article, 7 good habits before bedtime was written by Natalie for one of her 'Show and Tell' sessions. 
7 Good Habits Before Bedtime 

Today I would like to share with you, 7 good habits, that I practise before bedtime.

My first good habit is that my family switches off the television an hour before bedtime so that we can sleep better at night.

Secondly, I will brush my teeth together with my siblings. Oral hygiene is very important because we must keep our teeth clean and healthy to prevent tooth decay.

Thirdly, after washing up, I will change into pyjamas which consist of long pants and long sleeve top. This is because I sleep in an air-conditioned room and have to keep myself warm.

My fourth good habit is reading bedtime stories. Reading bedtime stories helps me to relax and helps me to sleep better.

Next, my fifth good habit is praying. Praying gives me a chance to thank God for everything good that has happened for the day and to practise reflection.

My sixth good habit is that just before switching off the lights and sleeping, I will go kiss my Mummy, Daddy, my siblings goodnight and to tell them that I love them.  


My final and seventh good habit is to have an early bedtime. I usually sleep at about 9pm so that I get at least 8 to 9 hours of sleep every day. This helps me to learn and concentrate better when I’m in school the next day. 

By Natalie (P2)


I hope you enjoyed Natalie's sharing. 


Having good habits before bedtime is indeed very important. The right activities helps the child to relax, wind down, slowly prepare for bedtime and eventually gets quality sleep and rest. 

 Here are some tips to getting a good night sleep that I want to share. 

Relaxing Pachelbel1) Relaxing your mind. 

Relaxing your mind, rather than stimulating it by watching TV or playing with electronic devices. Instead,  try listening to music. My favorite music cd is 'Relaxing Pachelbel' where it plays Canon in D. It is soothing and helps me fall asleep. In fact, I used this to calm my baby down and put them to sleep previously. I purchased it from Mothercare since I was pregnant more than 8 years ago and we are still listening to it. 




2) Have a night light at in the bedroom.
I have a warm orange light in my bedroom which I switched on about half an hour before bedtime. All activities will ceased after the lights are switched to this orange light. It acts as a signal to tell the kids that it's time for bedtime really soon. 




3) Bedroom is for relax and sleep. 
In my bedroom, there are only beds( my kids still sleep with me) and books. My husband and I have a mutual understanding that there is no TV in the room and no toys. Therefore, we associates the bedroom with only relaxation, rest, conversation and sleep. 

4)Heavy Breakfast, Heavy Lunch but Light Dinner
I try my best to practice this 'heavy breakfast, heavy lunch and light dinner' with my kids. This is because dinner time is usually at 6pm, fruits is between 7.30-8pm and my eldest daughter usually goes to bed by 9pm. Therefore, there is 3 hours in between dinner time and bedtime. Hence, a find a light, comfortably full dinner will help avoid difficulty in going to sleep due to a full stomach. 

5) Reflections is important at the end of the day. 
We use prayers as a form of reflection at the end of the day. We taught out children to go through these questions: 
What I want to thank God for today?
What have I done well today?
What can I improve on tomorrow?
Who I want to pray for?
What do I want to pray for, for tomorrow?

We feel that this prayer/ form of reflection helps bring closure to the day as it deals with what happens on that day and also puts their worries or stress to rest. 


How much sleep do we need? 

The following information is used as a guideline by KKH. 

Newborns (1-2 months):Full term babies typically sleep for about 16 to 18 hours a day.


Infants (3-11 months):Infants typically sleep 10-14 hours during the night. They have one to four times of day nap of 30 minutes to two-hour duration and they become fewer as they reach age one. 


Toddlers (1-3 years): Most toddlers sleep about 10 to 12 hours in a day. At about 18 months of age, their naptimes in the day will decrease to once a day lasting about one and a half to three and a half hours. 


Preschoolers (3-5 years): Preschoolers sleep about 10 to 12 hours per night. By three years of age the daytime nap decreases and then it ceases. As kids give up their naps, bedtimes may come earlier than during the toddler years. 


School-aged Children and Preteens (5-12 years): School-age children need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night.

 

Teenage children: Teenage children needs about 8 to 10 hours of sleep. 


 Adults: About 7-8 hours of sleep. 

 I hope this post is useful.






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