Want your kids to go to sleep? Technology to the Rescue
Why is it when kids are tired they seem the furthest from sleep; running around the house, jumping off the walls in total party mode. When I am tired, I sleep, anywhere! Sleep habits seem to always change with kids and as parents, we live in a constant state of anxiety wondering if we will ever get a full night of sleep again. It’s important to try different techniques and utilise everything that we have around us.
Here are three ways to use technology that has helped me get my kids to bed so I can spend some quality time with my wife.
Technology to help kids sleep
Phone Alarm
Set alarms on your phone to go off at the same time every night. Have the alarm play a unique song or chime. This will help you and the kids know it’s time to start the bedtime routine. My daughter says 'bedtime' every time she hears the chime. It's great, I don't have to be the bearer of bad news.
Meditation Apps
My wife and I have been meditating for a few years now while our kids fall off to sleep. Now our daughter treats it as part of her bedtime routine. She loves to choose which meditation to play on our phone. It gives her a little bit of independence and creates a routine where she can wind down as she listens to the guided meditation or sleep story on Calm.
White noise
We downloaded nature sounds that we can loop. Forest rain or waves, our kids are tucked into a rainy night or relaxing to the sound of waves lapping up on a tropical beach. The constant background noise allows us to enjoy dinner and conversation without worrying about waking up the kids. Plus the constant rhythmic sound has been shown to help kids feel more relaxed and grounded while conditioning them for sleep. Now if we are travelling we can turn up the waves and our little ones start to get sleepy.
Check out the Calm app for great guided meditations, sleep stories and free downloadable nature white noise sounds. We have found this to be the best overall meditation app for our family.
Unfortunately, these apps don't always work, but it's important to try new things. I would love to hear what technology your family uses for sleep strategies. With technology evolving daily it's not always easy to keep up. Let us know in the comments below and good luck sleeping like a baby!
1 Response
Victoria
Great article Luke, we have loved white noise or ocean sounds for our babes at times. Another way we have found really affective is using essential oils in a diffuser. Our daughter loves to choose her blend, it’s become part of our bedtime routine too. They’re out for hours, leaving us valuable adult time. Love that chime idea, might give that a go too. If we can have a relaxed bedtime routine, then I feel like we are winning as parents!!
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Luke Derrin
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