The school year is back once again, and while the new routine and excitement of seeing friends again is always fun, readjusting to a school day wakeup time is anything but. At 5 Little Monkeys, we're proud to help parents everywhere experience the power of healthy, restful sleep for their kids, and our children's mattress is trusted by parents everywhere. But we strive to be a complete resource on sleep hygiene, and if your child is struggling to get used to waking up early again, these tips can help.

Tips for Adjusting to School Bedtime

After a long summer or lazy mornings and late nights, your child is likely less than excited at the prospect of rising early for school every day. But fear not: with the right approach, transitioning to a school year bedtime schedule can be easy. Here are a few simple tips to help:

• Make Sure They're Getting Enough Sleep: First things first – most kids need more sleep than they actually get. Kids need 10-11 hours of sleep from age 7-12, and teenagers need at least 8-9 hours of sleep. If they aren't getting enough sleep, getting up will always be a battle.
• Make the Change Gradual: Switching from one bedtime to another all at once is both jarring and physiologically difficult. Instead, slowly adjust your child's bedtime in the week or two before school starts, moving it forward in 15-minute increments each day.
• Focus On Routine: Your child's bedtime routine is just as important as the actual bedtime. Make sure you have a consistent routine in place with some calming activities like reading a story, taking a bath, or anything else that helps your kid calm down.

Try the Best Kids Mattress Risk-Free

Following these guidelines will help make the transition to a school night bedtime easier, but for an even stronger boost to your child's sleep quality, it may be time to think about their mattress. A child's growing body has specific support needs that most kids mattresses simply can't meet. As parents ourselves, we got frustrated with this – so we went ahead and built the best mattress for children that money can buy to fix it. Interested? See the difference that better sleep can make and try our kids mattress today. If you don't love it within the first 100 nights, you get your money back!