5 Tips For Helping Your Kid Finally Fall Asleep, From A Certified Sleep Expert

Yet the advice available to stressed out parents is surprisingly limited and vague: stick to the same sleep schedule, limit screen time, and create a good sleep environment. It’s no surprise the demand for pediatric sleep coaches5 is booming. Parents are seeking better solutions to help their kids fall asleep (and stay asleep) until morning. 

It’s an issue pediatric sleep consultant and functional health coach Kelly Murray knows all too well. Murray, who pursued her career after dealing with her own son’s sleep problems, has spent almost a decade helping parents with custom sleep plans to make their nights run smoother. 

Now she’s sharing her top tips for helping prepare your kiddos for a night of quality sleep—including Hyland’s lineup of gentle and effective sleep supplements.*‡ 

A warm bath isn’t just a way to remove the dirt and pollutants of a day at play. Murray recommends a bath because it’s a drastic change from the rest of your kid’s routine, which makes it “a strong signal to the brain that bedtime is coming.” 

More importantly, a warm bath naturally increases your child’s core body temperature, per Murray. When they exit the bath, the cold air will cause a sudden decrease in their body temperature that facilitates the natural production of melatonin—so your kids snooze better and more efficiently6.

Sometimes your kids simply have too much energy to self-soothe after a hectic day. Perhaps it’s excitement about a birthday party, school trip, or upcoming family vacation. 

On days when you need to ward off occasional sleeplessness, Murray recommends Hyland’s lineup of gentle and easy multi-benefit sleep supplements for kids.*‡ Available with or without melatonin, these effective formulas combine organic botanicals with vitamins and minerals to promote rest and relaxation.* 

Not only do Hyland’s safe, sugar-free sleep liquids use real ingredients like chamomile extract, lemon balm, and magnesium—which work together to encourage rest7 and relaxation—but they also include immune-boosting additions like zinc and organic elderberry.*  

Whether you choose the delicious sugar-free liquid or go for their yummy gummies, you can rest easy knowing these parent-approved formulas never include common allergens or synthetic dyes. 

Blue light isn’t the only thing tricking your kid’s brain into thinking it’s daytime. Per Murray, the positioning and brightness of overhead lighting mimics the sun’s natural placement around noon, which can impact the body’s natural circadian rhythm and delay the production of melatonin8 (a sleep hormone that tells your body it’s time to rest). 

Transitioning from overhead lights to the gentle glow of lamps better mimics the setting sun. It also helps create a more relaxed setting to further signal to your child that it’s time for bed. 

If you want to take it one step further, Murray recommends upgrading any nightlights to either an amber or red light. These wavelengths omit or drastically reduce blue light to promote better sleep quality. 

Kids can deal with the same occasional bouts of anxiety as their parents. A good night’s sleep can be out of reach until they deal with any emotional build-up. 

Murray recommends paying close attention to your children’s emotional needs. For toddlers, the biggest issue is often feeling separated from parents. She recommends putting a picture on your child’s nightstand or offering up a scarf or sweatshirt as a way for them to feel close to you. 

As your kids get older, the focus should be on unpacking the day. “I find a lot of school age kids just have busy brains. They’re processing everything that happened throughout the day. It’s a really good time to talk to them and work through their emotions in a safe space,” explains Murray. 

Murray recommends offering up a journal or playing a calming meditation with deep breathing exercises to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (which signals the body to go into a relaxed state).

A good night’s rest starts with an optimized morning routine—and Murray says it’s important to find ways to keep your kids in bed. “Make sure there’s nothing motivating them to wake up early in the morning,” says Murray. “A lot of toddlers are early risers because they’re so excited about life. They want to start their day and do fun things.” 

Instead Murray recommends focusing on practical activities, such as getting dressed, brushing your teeth, and eating breakfast. She also suggests keeping an eye out for developmental leaps. When your kids are learning a new skill, they want to wake up even earlier to start practicing. This is the best time to find ways to incentivize them to keep snoozing. 

For example, you can set up an alarm clock in their room. Every day your kids stay in bed until a certain time, they’re working towards a reward—and you’re getting a few extra minutes of sleep to savor.

Falling and staying asleep is one of the most common sleep issues for kids, but parents can take proactive steps to encourage a night of quality rest. Along with optimizing your kid’s sleep routine and simplifying their mornings, experts suggest investing in a gentle and effective sleep aid to help your kiddos snooze—like Hyland’s multi-benefit sleep gummies and sugar-free liquids. These holistic supplements combine vitamins, minerals, and organic botanicals together into a safe formula that promotes sleep and immunity with every serving.*‡

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease
‡ For occasional sleeplessness.