Keeping Sleep on Track through Halloween

When we were all focused on getting bedtime, naps and morning wakes back on track after daylight savings, Halloween was creeping up, getting ready to throw everything all out of whack again!

With all of the fun and excitement of Halloween, comes some disruption to our little ones’ sleep. Trick or treating brings later bedtimes, a sugar rush, lots of over excitement and of course, some fears due to all of the scary costumes and decorations around the neighbourhood. My oldest is almost 4 years old and is so excited to go trick or treating on Halloween night. Many families I work with as a child sleep consultant like to have some flexibility in their routines, and so do I with my own family! The advice I always give is that children who are well rested are more likely to adapt well to changes in their schedule. With that in mind, as much as possible in the lead up to Halloween, don’t let bedtime stretch too late. Some of the other typical challenges Halloween can introduce and how to approach them are below:

👻 Bedtime Fears:

Toddlers and children might talk about monsters, ghosts or witches at bedtime. This is very common at this time of year and completely understandable with so many images of these ghouls around! I recommend speaking honestly with your children and letting them know that monsters don’t exist and they only belong in stories. You might see some businesses selling things like “monster spray” that you can spray in your child’s room, however, this might be a quick fix for one night but by spraying their room, checking under their bed or in closets etc. only sends the message that monsters exist and can increase their fears. Calmly let them know that there is nothing to fear and you are keeping them safe.

🦇 Heightened Separation Anxiety

Again, this is very common around Halloween. I recommend spending a little more time with them if separation anxiety is high. Let them know that you will sing an extra song or have a longer cuddle before bedtime. Always remembering to stick to your boundaries.

🎃 Nightmares

This is a big one and can really disrupt sleep for the whole house. I recommend soothing your child as necessary. Make sure they know that they are safe and you are there.

✨ Bonus Tip

If you find that your kiddos have been crawling into bed with you and need some additional support throughout the night, that’s ok! (As long as you are ok with it!) You can work on bringing back independent sleep in their own bed once routines are back to normal.

Are you struggling with sleep? Feel free to book a free 15-minute sleep assessment call with me, a child sleep consultant, to see how I can help? As a paediatric sleep consultant and baby sleep consultant, I’m here to support you in navigating these changes for your family.

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