How do you get an 8-year-old to sleep?

Answer 1

Before going to sleep, the body needs to be relaxed and prepared to fall asleep. A child will fall asleep very easily, but only when tired or "in the mood." After dinner, try spending some time with him/her playing a mellow game, watch some TV (with the sound low), give him a bath, or read him a story. These kinds of things normally work, because the child starts to get sleepy because of the settings around him. Don't put him in an area with too much noise or light. Starting a routine works really good. For example, about a hour before bed time you can read a book or watch a movie then slowly start to get ready for bed. By doing the same routine every night the child get in a habit and they know that it is time for bed.

Make sure you are waking him up around the same time every day. If he gets up at 7 a.m. every morning for school, he shouldn't be waking up at noon on Saturday. Keep his sleeping pattern regular. No caffeine or exercise 3-6 hours before bedtime. If all else fails, you could try some over-the-counter medicines. I would recommend diphenhydramine, which you can find in a grocery store or pharmacy as Benadryl. Take that 45 minutes before you want him asleep. Don't get into a habit of taking that every night though.

Another option is to give the child hot milk before bed time. And the use of soothing smells to relax the child will aslo help. Or spend time with the child by reading quietly. One of my friends take their son out for a night walk, and the child drifts off to sleep easily.

In some stores you can buy pillow mist that work as aromatherapy and the scents will help you fall to sleep. Or you can light some candles with calm scents which help. Or play some calming music on a low volume such as composers like Mozart. Something that is gentle, or you can sing a song to him yourself.

Answer 2

Hi. I think you should give him a glass of milk which makes him sleepy and read him a bed time story that he really likes and get into bed with him until he falls asleep. If you keep doing that, soon enough he will be an angel. My parents did that when i was a baby/toddler.

Answer 3

We are all made up of two components, the psyche (mental/spiritual) and the physical. If your three-year-old doesn't want to sleep you need to look at both.

Mental: Is there an insecurity issue (as is very common for that age) around going to bed/sleep? Most children at that age are somewhat afraid of the dark. They are just beginning to connect with the world and the darkness of sleep can be somewhat unsettling for them. Forcing them into bed with a nightlight on and walking away just doesn't cut the mustard. They need YOU at bed time to reassure them that all is well until they get to sleep. Then you can quietly leave them undisturbed and they will usually sleep until morning. If they go to bed with anxiety, they will continue to wake up because they're afraid. You can also ASK your three year old how they are feeling about going to sleep. And LISTEN to the answer. They will tell you what they need.

Physical:

1. Diet: no caffeine, no sugar. 100% fruit juices should be only once a day. Water, water, water only. And NEVER give a three-year-old caffeine. Their systems aren't able to hold it and it's like a shot of jet fuel to their little bodies. It puts their whole system in stress.

2. Put them to bed at 8 p.m. every night. Routine helps their bodies predict the future and they will start getting sleepy around then because that's when their body tells them it's bed time in your home.

Answer 4

If you make the child have an active lifestyle (he /she has plenty of energy to burn). give them a well balanced diet, that is all you need. So if you let a kid be a kid let them run around all day like they want to, make them stay outside and burn it all off, you wont have any trouble for the kid to sleep. but, if you let them eat junk food all day, and they lay around the house and not do anything all that energy will come out when it is nap/ bed time.

Answer 5

tell some bed time story...which may like to listen..&make sure he is not very active

on bed..

Answer 6

Try massaging his/her eyebrows.