How many sleeps until Christmas?
How can I get my child to sleep on Christmas Eve?
We all remember what it’s like to be a child on Christmas Eve. You’ve been counting down the number of sleeps till Christmas all year and now the final night has arrived. The Christmas countdown is over, and your home is full of festive cheer. Stockings hang above the fireplace, and a colourful assortment of presents are carefully placed underneath the Christmas tree.
The excitement of the night before Christmas is unlike anything else, however we all know how hard it can be to get your little ones to sleep on Christmas Eve. If you feel like you’ve tried everything to help your kids stay tucked up but have had no luck, here are some of our top tips for getting your kids to sleep easier; not just on Christmas Eve, but all year round.
For more great tips for the whole family check out these articles on The Sleep Blog.
Santa’s full of mince pies & brandy and his reindeer have had enough carrots to last the year as they travel back to their home in the North Pole after a busy night delivering presents to children around the world.
Santa and his reindeer are super-human fast at delivering presents. Clever science boffs have worked-out that Santa visits 822 homes a second – make sure you don’t blink or you’ll miss him!
Even Santa likes a holiday, so he and Mrs Claus have packed their suitcases and are having a little summer break before the big Christmas preparations begin!
The largest ever Christmas tree measured a massive 221 ft high – that’s probably taller than your house!
Santa and Mrs Claus are back and tanned after their break in the sun – it’s now time to start the real work as the Elves begin making gazillions of gifts in their huge workshop to deliver to kids across the globe on Christmas Eve.
Most people love tucking into turkey on Christmas Day, but this has not always been the tradition. In the UK, folk used to sit-down to pig’s head and mustard to get the festivities started!
Not long to go – we hope you’ve got your advent calendar open. There are lot of kids to deliver to on Christmas Eve, so Santa and his Elves have already started packing their bags to get ready for the big day.
Santa Claus has many different names depending on where you’re from. In Brazil he’s known as Papai Noel, in France he’s called Pere Noel and in Turkey they call him Noel Baba!
Santa and his reindeer – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Rudolph and Blitzen – have set off from their home in the North Pole. Keep your peeps peeled as you might be lucky enough to spot Santa’s sleigh flying across the sky soon.
Who doesn’t love Christmas dinner? Especially the Italians, who have more than 7 courses when they tuck in on the big day! Sounds like a good plan to us...
Get your lists ready, the mince pies in the oven and the chimneys cleared - Santa and his reindeer are on their way with bags-full of presents! Have a great Christmas everyone!
Oh and don’t forget a carrot for Santa’s hard-working reindeer too!
Mince pies used to be made with actual meat back in the Victorian days. Thankfully today we use fruit and spices instead. We know which we’d prefer...
Reading is great for inducing deep and healthy sleep. It’s also a welcome distraction for kid’s who are excited on Christmas Eve.
It will help your little one relax, making them more likely to slip off into a blissful slumber.
Not only that, reading with your child helps improve their concentration and teaches them skills that will be beneficial for years to come, so it's a great addition to your child's bedtime routine.
We'd recommend a festive book on Christmas Eve, but if you're looking for reading inspiration for the rest of the year, then you can find your new bedtime story here in our favourite bed time reads for children.
It's important to instil a consistent bedtime routine from a young age. A great way for your child to become sleepy on Christmas Eve is to prepare a bath at a specific time, this will allow your child to feel sleepy just before bedtime.
This is a tip that can be useful for bedtime all your round, as once your child becomes familiar with the bedtime routine, they will naturally become sleepy before getting to bed.
How about making a tradition of a bath and new pyjamas on Christmas Eve? This is a great way to keep your children in a routine whilst making it exciting!
A great sleep tip that both adults and children can benefit from is reducing screen time before bed.
Your TV, mobile phone, tablet and computer screens have been proven to reduce the amount of melatonin you produce. Melatonin is the hormone you produce to help maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle, when this is disturbed, your sleep is disturbed.
Experts recommended that to get the best sleep you should prevent all screen time at least two hours before sleep. We know that watching a festive film on Christmas Eve is a tradition for a lot of people, but try to bring this forward a little bit so you're not finishing the film and then heading straight to bed.
Our bedroom should be a haven – a welcoming retreat after a busy day which invites sleep.
Here are some tips for creating an environment that encourages sleep:
- Keeping the bedroom a little cooler is better for sleep – over-heating through the night can disrupt sleeping patterns.
- It’s best for the room to be dark as this helps your child tell the difference between day and night and, in turn, when to be awake and asleep.
- Loud or repetitive noises can be really disruptive. Keep noise to a minimum so there’s nothing distracting or alarming to your little one.
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