Healthy sleep practices for children

1. Have a set bedtime and bedtime routine for your child.
2. Bedtime and wake-up time should be about the same time on school nights and non-school nights. There should not be more than about an hour's difference from one day to another.
3. Make the hour before bed a shared quiet time. Avoid high-energy activities, such as rough play, and stimulating activities, such as watching television or playing computer games, just before going to bed.
4. Don't send your child to bed hungry. A light snack before bed is a good idea. Heavy meals within an hour or two of bedtime may interfere with sleep.
5. Avoid products containing caffeine for at least several hours before bedtime. These include caffeinated fizzy drinks, coffee, tea and chocolate.
6. Make sure your child spends time outside every day whenever possible and is involved in regular exercise.
7. Keep your child's bedroom quiet and dark. A low-level night light is acceptable for children who find completely dark rooms frightening.
8. Keep your child's bedroom at a comfortable temperature during the night (24 degrees Celsius).
9. Don't use your child's bedroom for time-out or punishment.
10. Keep the television set out of your child's bedroom. Children can easily develop the bad habit of "needing" the television to fall asleep.

Source: Owens J, Mindell J. Sleep hygiene : Healthy sleep habits for children and adolescents. In: A clinical guide to pediatric sleep, 2nd ed, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia 2010.