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Sleeping Schedules for Preschoolers

by T Akery | August 7th, 2012 | Preschool

Sleep patterns differ from child to child. But with preschool looming ahead, your preschooler needs enough sleep to make it through their day. Tired, cranky preschoolers are harder for teachers to deal with and they tend to get into more trouble. So, the best way to set your preschooler up for a good day starts at bedtime.

Start out early with establishing a bedtime routine. Ideally, you want at least a month for your preschooler to adjust to a new wake-up and bedtime. It takes time to readjust their schedule. If your preschooler has a hard time adapting to schedule changes, then certainly start their schedule changes much earlier.

Stick to the schedule even on weekends. It will make the week so much easier on your preschooler. While staying up late one night won’t necessarily wreck their schedule, making up the sleep time on a Sunday can interfere with Monday’s schedule leading to Monday morning crankiness.

If your preschooler has a sleepless night, try to find the cause. If they are sick and can’t sleep because they are congested, then definitely keep them home. This way you can keep an eye on them.

Tackle all of those scary shadows before bedtime. Sometimes, your preschooler will hear a story or another child saying something that will make them a little fearful of bedtime. So, things that were once fine with your child may now be scary objects. Don’t dismiss these as unimportant because they will interfere with their sleep patterns and can provoke nightmares. Ideally, you want to address these problems when they appear.

Preschoolers need to have an established sleeping pattern before preschool starts in order to help with their success in school. Start out early to give your preschooler adequate time to adapt to their new schedule. Make sure to address any bedtime problems before they become a huge deal. A good night’s sleep can make the difference in both their attentiveness and their behavior.

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