Summer Sleep Tips For Parents & Young Children ♥

Summer is in full swing at the moment. The days are gloriously sunny and warm - which is absolutely fantastic, but at night, it can be hard to get a good nights sleep due to the heat.

At bedtime we're used to snuggling up in thick duvets and blankets, getting cosy and settling down for a nice sleep, but in the warm summer months, when there is a dead heat at night, no one wants to be wrapped up in duvets and blankets and I think this upsets the normal sleep routine quite a bit.

Today I thought I'd share some summer sleep tips for parents and young children, recommending things that I use for both myself and boys, to ensure that we all have a good nights sleep - even in the heat.

Find the right mattress for you - I can't even stress to you how important it is to have the perfect mattress for you to ensure that you're getting the most comfortable nights sleep possible. I personally favour a memory foam mattress and find that it's best for my back.

Having a good quality, comfortable mattress means that I get a good nights sleep even during the hottest of summer nights. It's just lovely to have something comfortable to lie on and since getting a new mattress I've found the quality of my sleep has really improved and I actually wake up feeling refreshed

Set a sleepy atmosphere - I now try to get mine and the boys' bedrooms 'sleep ready' and as relaxing as I possibly can before bedtime. I think that candles are one of the most relaxing elements you can have in a room and even though the days are long in the summer and it's still bright when we're going to bed, just having the candle flickering away and having it's lavender scent filling up the room gives a lovely, relaxing vibe.

I also make sure I have all the blinds down and curtains shut before I bring the boys upstairs to bed. This is to make them aware that it is night time, even if the sun is still shining outside. It seems to calm them down and not make them feel as if they're missing all the fun outside.

Switch up your bedding - In the summer you don't want to be laden down with heavy tog duvets and thick blankets, so switching to a lower, summer tog duvet is a great thing to do. Also think about the material of your sheets and pillowcases.

Satin sheets and very cooling during summer nights and I've recently switched Beau's cot sheet to a 100% bamboo sheet which is lovely and soft for the summer nights. It's from The Little Art Collection and I love the nature and rabbit print, it's so beautiful! I also switched his sleeping bag to a cooler 1.5tog muslin sleeping bag and he is so much more comfortable in this. I also have the piece of mind that he's not too hot during the night but is also not getting cold or pulling blankets up over his head either.

Shun the screen time - Summer is the perfect season to neglect the screens and spend time outdoors before bed or doing more relaxing pastimes such as reading or going for a leisurely walk in the long evenings.

I've found that if the boys have had some time by the seaside or have been able to run out in the garden for an hour before going to bed then they're generally more tired out and happy to drift off to sleep without a fuss. Summer really is such a great excuse to get outside as much as you can and to stay away from screens and TVs before bed - and during the day too. It just seems like a sin to be indoors on a gorgeously warm and sunny day, doesn't it?

If you're looking for some inspiration on how to fill the hours before bedtime, check out my ideas for fun things to do in the spring and summer evenings.

Embrace the lavender - Lavender is one of the essential summer flowers and it is so amazing at helping both myself and the boys drift off to sleep - the aroma is just enchanting. I sprinkle lavender oil on our bed sheets a few times a week and it's lovely to have the sheets fragranced with lavender.

I also add the lavender oil to a warm bath if I'm having one before bedtime, it really does put you to sleep instantly! If you don't have an lavender oil then using lavender scented products at bedtime is always a good thing to do. I find these work especially well for the boys, Lush's Sleepy moisturiser being the most effective at getting them to drift off to sleep.

Blackout the sun - We have blackout blinds in our house, even during the winter, as they're fabulous for keeping the sunshine out, especially in the boys bedrooms during these early sun rises!

Having blackout blinds and/or curtains just ensures that the little ones won't be getting up as soon as dawn breaks - because these days are already long enough aren't they without a five o' clock start thrown into the mix too! Your blackout blinds don't have to be a permanent fixture either, Mothercare do a great blackout blind that is portable, meaning that it can be taken down during the day and used for holidays, etc. too.

Air the house - During the summer I always have the windows open, even when we're going to bed. I just think it's lovely having a little bit of a breeze going through the house and it helps to keep everyone cool during the night.

I've also begun leaving our bedroom doors open at night too as there's been such a sticky, sickly heat as of late and having the doors open means that the bedrooms don't heat up too much.

Do you have any summer sleep tips? All of these things have really worked for my boys and I'm glad that we're still managing to get a good nights sleep, even on these warm nights. I just couldn't function without a proper nights sleep!