How to Settle your Children to Sleep on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is one of the most exciting days of the year, the build up to Christmas Day reaches its peak and for children the wait for Santa’s arrival really begins. Whether you have a Christmas Eve party, a trip to church or just a cosy night in, the excitement is real. Whilst the excitement is understandable and often fun, when it comes to bedtime it is important to do everything possible to ensure your children get some necessary rest. With so much going on it is pretty common for children to struggle to sleep, but we want them well rested for the big day and of course asleep for when Santa makes his appearance.

Stick to your Routine

Even on such an exciting evening it is important to stick to bedtime and routines. This is important as to not mess up your child’s body clock and by sticking to the normal routine, it’s likely your child will fall asleep more easily. Make sure you still do everything the same as you would any other night such as turning off the TV at least half an hour before bed, having a bath and reading a story. By acting as though this is just like any other bedtime, you will make it easier for them to fall asleep.

Tire Them Out

One of the best things you can do, especially on Christmas Eve, is make sure your kids have had enough fun and exercise throughout the day, so that they are more than ready for sleep when it comes to bedtime. On such an exciting day it won’t be hard to find plenty of activities which will wear them out just in time for bed!

Relaxing Sleeping Environment

Making sure a child’s bedroom is relaxing and comforting is important to ensuring they have a good night’s sleep and fall asleep with ease. Make sure their bed and bedding is comfortable, the temperature is right and they are happy in their room. Keep devices such as phones and tablets out of the bedroom to ensure there is no blue light and any night lights should be warm toned to avoid disrupted sleep.

Tracking Santa

Tracking Santa on the NORAD Santa tracker is a great way to get children to go to bed on Christmas eve if they are struggling or less happy to go to sleep. Once Santa gets close, tell them that they need to go to bed in order for Santa to arrive; after all, Santa can’t come to houses where children are awake!

Read a Christmas Bedtime Story

A Christmas bedtime story before sleep is a great way to settle the children to sleep whilst also keeping in the Christmas spirit. Bonus points if you find a story about Santa coming whilst children sleep; it may be what they need to drift off quickly. Reading a story is a great way to unwind after a full and exciting day for both of you and can help them to drift of peacefully at the end of the long day.