6 Ways to Prevent Your Child From Being Overtired During The Holidays

The holiday season is here already and I know that you are so excited! There are so  many fun things to do for families. Parties, shopping, family get togethers, travel and countless children's events can all get piled onto your social calendar.

With so many activities to squeeze into your schedule one of the things that can suffer is your child’s sleep. Often times missed naps, erratic schedules and late nights can really take a toll on children’s sleep during the holidays.

One thing we know about children is when they don’t get enough sleep, they are NOT happy little people.

Not only does being overtired make children grumpy, but lack of sleep makes it hard for children to go to sleep. As crazy as it sounds, an overtired child has a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep.

The best way to deal with that is to prevent your child from getting overtired to begin with.

So, here are 6 ways to make sure that your child gets enough sleep during the holidays.

1. Don’t Over Schedule

Prevention is everything.

Choose your events with care. There are so many opportunities to be social this time of year.   Look at your calendar and prioritize your most important events.

Here are a few tips for deciding how to choose what to attend.

• First of all, make a pact with your significant other that you will each not agree to any events without discussing with the other first. 

• Start with those events that hold the most meaning to your extended families - the ones they will be the most disappointed if you miss -  Christmas Eve service you all attend together, the annual family dinner at gramma's home for opening gifts, the New Year Brunch - There are so many events that are "obligations" when you blend two families but you know you can't attend them all without causing stress on you and sometimes your children. Choose the ones that hold the most meaning and pencil those in.

• Add in the traditions that you have started that are  the most meaningful to your new little family. 

• Pencil in those your child will enjoy the most - visits with Santa, the children’s plays, etc,  

• Gather all of your invitations to holiday parties, social events etc and choose the ones that are the most child friendly and that fit in the best with your child’s schedule.

After you have penciled in all of those dates, step back and look at all of these events in relation to your child's daily schedule. How does it look? 

Some events clearly will conflict with your child’s sleep - either by being late at night or during nap time.  You will need to decide if your child will enjoy those, and if it is  worth the cost of some lost sleep to invest in that activity.  Would it be in your child’s best interest to skip that occasion? 

Some events are just not very child friendly. Some events may be best to call a "date event" for mommy and daddy and let your child catch up on sleep at those times.

You may see that you are just completely over extended. You may see that you need to change some schedules around. 

Now, some people may be saying, "My child is not going to dictate my schedule. I am not going to be tied down by my child's nap schedule." 

I understand that. 

However, another way to look at this is that sleep is a vital part of your child's growth and development, just like a certain amount of food and water is. Without proper amounts of food and water, your child cannot grow and develop at an optimal rate. 

The same is true for not having the optimal hours of sleep for your child's age. 

If your two year old's sleep requirement is 14 hours of sleep per day, and she isn't getting that, she is living on a deficit of the sleep that she needs to grow and develop at her optimal rate. 

You don't have to be tied down by your child's schedule, but making sure she gets the sleep she needs to grow may require some changes to your schedule while she is young. 

 
2. Keep a consistent routine

Try to maintain your child’s 24 hour schedule as much as possible. Whether at home or traveling, the closer you can keep your child’s routine the same, the better your child will sleep and the happier your child's mood will be.

Now, I know that some families don’t have any consistency in their routine. And I am not one to have you regiment your family like the military. But I do believe that having structure to your day is better for your child. And especially better for their sleep.

Consistent wake up and bedtimes make a huge difference.

(If you are struggling with developing routines for your child, I can help you with developing some that will work with your family) 

3. Continue your child’s bedtime routine no matter the time and place.

Even performing  an abbreviated version of your bedtime routine  will help your child to relax and know what is coming next. The purpose of the routine is to prepare your child for sleep and to wind down.

If you skip the wind down, your child may miss the cues and have a hard time settling down. Some children begin to yawn as soon as a particular part of the sleep routine begins, but if that step is skipped, they may not get the signal that it is bedtime.  

4. Maximize the amount of sleep your child gets in a 24 hour period.

Keep track of how much sleep your child usually gets in a day - for example, maybe your 3 year old usually gets 11  hours of sleep per night and takes a 1 ½  hour nap during the day.  Keep track of how much he is sleeping during the holiday season.

If you go to an event and he misses his nap, make sure that he goes to bed early that night to make up for the lost sleep.

If you stay out late and she is getting to bed late, protect those naps the next day.

Try to keep the total amount of sleep the same if at all possible. 

5. Use your child's sleep environment for calming.

Make sure the child's room is calming and conducive to sleep. This helps children settle and rest better. No matter where you are, you can continue these tips - bring the environment with you.

What does that mean? Create their same sleep environment where ever you go. I am not talking about their room decor, I am talking about the foundations that create a calming and peaceful atmosphere. 

My FREE Quickstart Guide gives you 10 Tips To Get Your Child Sleeping Better Tonight. If you haven’t downloaded it already, make sure you get those. 

6. Don’t let your child get overtired.  

Respect children's limits. Realize that children’s behavior will often fall apart when they are overtired.  Meltdowns, temper tantrums, crying,  being unable to control themselves, unable to settle, being over emotional - all of these are signs of an overtired child. You will see a lot of these in the long lines to see Santa! 

Young babies can be overtired too. They will cry, be irritable, fussy, have that evening crying jag where nothing seems to settle them. You  probably remember  those times when you tried everything and you just couldn't get your child settled down. 

Babies often become over stimulated during the day and they are so tired that they just cannot settle themselves down.

No matter how amazing the event, and all the time, effort and expense that goes into it, if a child is overtired, they will not be able to enjoy it without some rest. 

If your children are so tired that they are melting down, they are unlikely to  enjoy the happiest of occasions.  If that happens, be patient and realize that your children have no control over what is happening.

At that point, do whatever you can to help your child get some sleep.

But hopefully, with these 6 Tips, you can prevent getting to that point. You can protect your child’s sleep AND make some precious memories together.

If you are already struggling with sleep issues with your child, the holidays may be a time that exaggerates these problems even more.

If you find yourself in this situation, then you may be ready to reach out for some help. My Sleep Like a Baby Custom Coaching Program may be just what you need to get your family on the right track for the new year.

In this program, I help you identify what the specific problems are that are keeping your child from getting sleep and then develop a plan that is right for you. Then I guide you through until your child is Sleeping like A Baby. You can check this out here

I love this time of year. When my boys were little, we had some traditions that were so precious to us. My favorite was going to see Santa every year. Getting dressed up in their Christmas outfits and having a special day out was so sweet.

I know that you are making some precious memories with your little angels this year that you will carry with you for a lifetime. Hop on over to the Dream Baby Cafe Community and tell us what you have planned. Or post some pictures.

Or connect with me on Instagram @luannmarlow. I would love to follow you and see your precious babes!