Active Kids=Easier Bedtimes A new study finds a close relationship between a child's daytime activity and how quickly it falls asleep, good news if you need to get Junior to bed quickly so you can watch Hung. [Consumer Reports Health]
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@greggen: I wanted to be the first to comment on the "it". I was going to go with the hemaphrodite thing though
Too bad most of today's youth live a sheltered life of getting dropped off at their house by a bus (or mommy) and then eating cheezy poofs and playing hours of Xbox.
Right....I wish my two year old was able to read this! From 6 am til 8:30-9 o'clock, (with about a 2hour nap after lunch) that boy is like the Energizer bunny, he keeps going and going and...
"...a child's daytime activity and how quickly it falls asleep..."
I see what you did there.
+1 all the way.
.... And in the next issue... The more water you drink.. the more you have to go to the bathroom...
c'mon do people really need to be told to keep their kids active so that they can go to sleep earlier / faster ?
Uhm, am I really the first one to say it? Calling Ric Romero, reporter Ric Romero to the white courtesy phone please.
Seriously, isn't this rather obvious? Kids who are tuckered out fall asleep fast. I'm surprised they needed a study to verify it.
And in other news water is wet and the sun is bright...
People have always asked us how we get our two kids to bed so easily, besides consistency in a bed time and a nightly routine, making sure the kids have had enough exercise for the day has been our answer.
Our two year old son is like a big dog, you need to run him everyday or he becomes destructive. I am sure he is not alone and I am sure many childhood behavior problems would be alleviated or eliminated altogether if the child got enough physical activity.
This one is up there with 'sensible diet and exercise helps you lose weight' for its d'uh factor.
Not only is this a no-brainer even for people who haven't spent time with kids, but if you have kids and haven't observed this in action, then your kids probably have bigger problems than not wanting to go to bed.
@garfield1979: I love it when they make things sound like a big surprise when most everyone knows if you use a lot of energy during the day... yea, you will get more tired.
I just wish they could decide if fire can burn you or not... I've been wondering about that one forever, and just wish they would make a study on that so I would know for sure. (Yea, a little bit of sarcasm there... sorry, could not resist.)
Unless you get them over tired. Then all hell breaks loose.
@coan_net: Fire only burns you if you let it. Mind over matter. I'll let you know how that works out, lol.
@downwithmonstercable:
And its a very fine and always moving line between enough activity to go to sleep fast and too much activity that they get overtired then fight going to sleep.
I caught it just right one time, asked my daughter if she was ready for night night and she crawled up the stiars going to her bedroom and laid down on the top step and fell asleep right there.
@enine: My daughter until she was about 4 would often ask to go to bed (or pull the pillow and blanket from the couch to create a bed on the floor in the family room and fall asleep). When she started going to school (Pre-K) that is when the resistance to sleeping began..most times nothing too serious (a "I don't want to go to bed" protest and that is the end of it), but recently she has been getting overtired and resisting going to bed. The problem is one minute she will be fine, and 2 seconds later you srart to see the goofiness setting in at which point you know that it is already too late.
Isn't this pretty much true for grownups as well?
Children who are more active in the day may fall asleep easier at night...but parents who have to keep up with their little hellions during the day will also fall asleep easier at night. Just food for thought.
Also, my suggestion is this: DVR!
I wish it worked for my kid. She plays tons of sports/activities and still can't go to sleep at a reasonable hour despite a set schedule in place for years. Her energy level just runs high until later in the night when then she drops like a rock and couldn't be woken up by a herd of elephants.
@enine: LOL, that's cute. My daughter will literally pass out on my shoulder, like she'll have her head up and looking around, and it's like she just releases any will to hold her head up, and she conks down and falls asleep instantly. She's 16 months right now.
@Rachacha: That goofiness is simultaneously hilarious and terrifying. Because it's funny to watch, but like you said...you get that instant pang of fear because you know the line has been crossed and it's too late to salvage.
@garfield1979: "c'mon do people really need to be told to keep their kids active so that they can go to sleep earlier / faster ?"
People need to be told not to drink window cleaner.
Wearing yourself out makes you tired. In other news, water is wet. Bears poop in the woods.
@jdhuck: When that happens, I pray that any of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse will come and take me away.
@Rachacha: So true! The goofiness is a true sign of impending doom. Prepare to cancel all nighttime chores (and nighttime fun) because when I finally succeed in getting my son to sleep, I'm too tired to do a damn thing more that night.
@Charlotte Rae's Web: she may be active too close to bedtime? sometimes activity wakes you up a bit.
The same advice works for my dog. If he doesn't get a good walk during the day he won't really feel like going to sleep. Bed time is playtime!
Try to imagine Schnauzer beard in your face while you try to sleep.
Exercise works to tire out my dog, as well as my kid. It's good for the whole family. :-)
I could not believe what I overheard at the vet's office last weekend, either. Woman walks in off the street no appointment, and says to the girl at the desk "I want to get some tranquilizers to make my dogs sleep at night. They sleep all day while I'm at work, and when I get home they're all excited and won't go to bed when I do. I want something to give them at night to make them sleep all night." The girl at the desk suggested getting a daytime dog walker, or taking them for a run in the evening to tire them out. Said "We don't prescribe meds for convenience."
I'm surprised parents don't ask their pediatricians for tranquilizers for their kids like this woman wanted for her dogs. Oh wait... they do.
@Charlotte Rae's Web: I have a child who decided, from birth, that sleep was only for chumps. "Sleeping like a baby" never applied to her. And if we run her ragged all day, she's just that much more wide awake at night. I remember once, at Christmas, we took her down to my in-laws and she wouldn't nap at all (she was about 2) because of all the excitement, and my MIL says, "Well, she'll sleep on the drive home." Yeah, right. TWO HOURS that kid was still awake in her car seat. And now that we have her sister, who sleeps just fine, we know it's not US... it's just the way she is.
it puts the lotion on it's skin easier too...