If we’re honest, us mums find it difficult enough to nod off on Christmas Eve, so we can only imagine how hard it is for our little ones to get a good night’s sleep when they know Father Christmas is due
to arrive at any minute!
While lying awake at night and straining to hear sleigh bells on the roof is an incredibly special part of Christmas, it’s important your child doesn’t spend the vast majority of Christmas Eve staring at the
ceiling with eyes as wide as saucers leaving them incapable of enjoying festivities on December 25th.
If you’re concerned about getting your gang to settle on Christmas Eve, why not try out our top ten tips and tricks to ensure the entire family gets a good night sleep while Santa Claus gets to work
downstairs.
1. Tire them out on Christmas Eve
If you have any chance of getting a relatively good night's sleep on December 24th, it's absolutely vital the kids run off their nervous energy before the big day.
A family trip to the park, a bike ride or an hour or two in the fresh air will ensure you have an easier time getting them to wind down as they await the man in red's arrival!
2. Make the bedtime routine a little more festive
While us mums may have a list as long as our arm to complete before Christmas morning, it's important to take the time to make bedtime a little extra special on Christmas Eve.
Bundling the gang off to bed while you rush around the house won't do you any favours as little people need time to process the change and transition from play-time to bed-time.
3. Remind them that Santa can only arrive when everyone is asleep
While leaving out treats for Santa, it's important to remind the gang that Santa can only do his job once everybody in the house is asleep.
By lying awake and refusing Mummy's requests to close tired eyes, Santa will be delayed as he waits for certain kids to listen to their parents!
4. Put their slippers and dressing gowns close to their bed
This trick tends to work better on little ones, but it's worth a shot with everyone on Christmas Eve!
Give the impression that they need to be super-prepared in order to receive their presents on the 25th, so be sure to make a big production of placing slippers and dressing gowns as close to their bed as possible.
5. Leave a note from Santa.
If you're already quite certain your gang will struggle to play by the rules on December 24th, why not have Father Christmas leave a note reminding them that a good sleep is a prerequisite before the big day.
Place the note beneath their bed covers or between the folds of their pyjamas, and be sure they're the ones who find it.
6. Ring warning bells
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?! Remind the little ones that the sound of sleigh bells is Santa's warning to all boys and girls that they should be in a deep sleep by now.
A few swift tinkles of a bell near their bedroom window is guaranteed to bring on a deep sleep!
7. Play music
Allow Christmas music to be played where they can hear it if they struggle to sleep with no accompaniment.
Choose slow Christmas carols or gentle hymns to help lull them into sleep.
8. Chat with them
Sometime a friendly ten-minute chat with their mummy is all your child needs to wind down before a big day.
Tell them anecdotes of your own childhood Christmases and relish these sweet moments together.
9. The quicker they sleep, the quicker the morning arrives
Remind your child how quickly a night's sleep passes and explain that the sooner they drift into dreamland, the sooner they can begin the celebrations.
Remember to be patient with your children as you explain how quickly an hour can pass during slumber because a child's hour' is vastly different to that of an 'adult's hour'!
10. Warn them that the later they’re awake, the later they’ll go downstairs
When all else fails, there's no harm implementing a rule which states that the longer they stay awake, the later they can peek at their presents the following morning.
You can be pretty sure a rule like that will guarantee gentle snores in no time!
