Singing bedtime lullabies to babies and young children is often seen as an essential part of the bedtime routine. But what happens as our children get older? How do bedtime songs play a role for those approaching the pre-teen years? Read on to find out how keeping bedtime songs in your bedtime routine can bring some unexpected emotional and physical benefits to your whole family.
You can read how bedtime songs have helped our family here.
The Power of Bedtime Lullabies
1. Protect the Bedtime Routine
Family life is generally much simpler and easier if everyone has the same expectations. And it’s the same at bedtime. Creating a bedtime routine that is the same (as much as humanly possible) each night enables everyone to know what is expected of them – from the child to the parent. Incorporating bedtime music, songs, and lullabies into that routine can help everyone transition from awake-time to sleep-time.
As well as keeping to the same routine as much as possible, I recommend ending your bedtime singing session on the same couple of songs. This will help turn your bedtime lullabies from simple songs to sleep cues. Sleep cues are vital to helping our brains switch into sleep mode.
2. Not Just for Babies...
As your children get older, the bedtime routine will change, but it’s still essential that children don’t lose their sleep cues. Children often start stretching out bedtime, needing longer to wind down from their days. Longer bedtime routines can bring expected challenges (like how and when to turn off screens) and unexpected ones (the story they are reading is too exciting to put down!)
That’s why creating a transition space using bedtime songs can be a useful tool for children of all ages. You may need to change the ‘music’, but by keeping the tone, volume and speed similar to their baby bedtime lullabies, you’ll help maintain a regular sleep cue for years to come.
2. Not Just for Babies...
As your children get older, the bedtime routine will change, but it’s still essential that children don’t lose their sleep cues. Children often start stretching out bedtime, needing longer to wind down from their days. Longer bedtime routines can bring expected challenges (like how and when to turn off screens) and unexpected ones (the story they are reading is too exciting to put down!)
That’s why creating a transition space using bedtime songs can be a useful tool for children of all ages. You may need to change the ‘music’, but by keeping the tone, volume and speed similar to their baby bedtime lullabies, you’ll help maintain a regular sleep cue for years to come.
3. Create a Moment of Connection
Bedtime is a special moment that as parents we should fight to be part of for as long as possible. By being visible and taking an active role in tucking your children in, singing a lullaby and saying ‘goodnight’ or ‘I love you’, you are ensuring a positive moment of connection with your child each and every day.
In the quiet and calm of the pre-sleep, your child will often feel safe and secure enough to share something important to them. We’ve had some of our most special conversations with our children in the moments after bedtime songs.
4. Don't Drop it too soon
In the rush of our busy lives, creating a space for bedtime songs can bring several physical and emotional benefits.
This article – sleepfoundation.org/noise-and-sleep/music explains how music at bedtime may improve sleep quality, decrease levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and may help manage pain. Other benefits may include lowering heart-rates and blood pressure.
So, if there is the potential to help our children get better sleep by simply singing some bedtime lullabies, then it’s vital that we don’t stop too soon. That we don’t perceive our children as too old or mature. You may need to change the music as they grow, but don’t change the routine.
5. Share Your Story
Getting our children to bed and helping them sleep is one of the biggest parenting challenges most of us face. So please share your story. Share your struggles, your failures and your exhaustion. And share how singing bedtime lullabies to children of all ages can be a significant step on the road to better sleep.
More Bedtime Stories...
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