How to Encourage Children with Anxiety to Go to Sleep

A lot of kids experience anxiety, although it comes in many different forms. From separation anxiety, where your little one becomes clingy and cries when you leave them alone, to fears of the dark, your child could experience real stress from a number of everyday situations. Whilst many of these may be easy to deal with, when night time comes and it’s time for bed it’s a whole different story.

Encouraging my Anxious Child to go to Sleep

A lot of parents find themselves asking ‘how do I encourage my anxious child to go to sleep?’. It’s a big problem that many mums and dads face, and it’s definitely a challenge. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to make it easier to settle your child in for the night and help them get the sleep they need. Here’s our expert advice from our team at snoozzzy.

1) Don’t Force Sleep

Many of us think that once our kids are in bed, the lights should be on and they should be sleeping, but this can actually be counterproductive for those with anxiety. If your child hates lying in bed worrying about school tomorrow or the monsters under their bed, let them regulate their sleep. Once they’re in bed, make sure the lights are dimmed but allow them to read, draw, or do an activity that relaxes them. Eventually, they’ll become tired enough to fall asleep with becoming anxious, and you’ll find it much easier to get them to bed every night.

2) Worry Dolls

If your child has a lot of anxieties that are stopping them from sleeping, buy them worry dolls. These are native to Guatemala and are given to little ones so they can tell these dolls their worries, giving them away before placing the dolls under their pillow. The dolls will then worry for the child whilst they sleep so they can get a peaceful night. It may just be a story, but it can really help kids! 

3) Bedtime Stories

There’s a reason why bedtime stories have been so popular for so long, so make sure you never skip yours! Not only does reading to your youngster every night have a bunch of educational benefits, it can also help those with anxiety. The promise of a story will make your child excited for bedtime rather than filled with dread, and reading until they fall asleep will keep their worries away.

4) Weighted Blankets

Weighted blankets have a whole lot of science behind them when it comes to alleviating anxiety and improving sleep, so it’s definitely worth trying them out with your little one. The weight provides your child with a simulation of deep pressure touch which encourages the body’s production of serotonin and endorphins, two chemicals which naturally calm us down. Your little one will feel much more at ease with this blanket, and sleeping will be far easier.

If you want to learn more about our weighted blankets, or get more tips and tricks on helping your little ones sleep, get in touch with our team at snoozzzy.