Have an 80/20 Summer Balance

Summer is here!  I love summer.  I love the longer days and the fun activities.  I love the family time and all that summer has to offer.  But summer also brings the temptation to let sleep schedules go completely off the rails.  But should we let them?

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My philosophy is to keep an 80/20 life balance.  My family loves to enjoy activities and outings. We don't miss out on important family gatherings. But we do try to remain reasonable in our sleep schedule flexibility.  I keep mental notes of our children's sleep and try not to let their sleep schedules get off track more than 20% of the time.

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This means that sometimes we are 30-60 minutes late for bedtime.  But not hours late!  That's where that reasonableness comes in. Sometimes our infant has a nap in the car or the stroller.  These things are okay!  The key is to not let them COMPOUND!  Remember that sleep is not as restorative when it doesn't happen in your child's bed. If you have a late night, then prioritize naps the next day and be on time for bedtime that next night too.  Don't let days and days of missed sleep start piling up.  I can promise you that your child's behavior will suffer and it's not fun for anyone when a child is tired and miserable.

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So I would urge you to keep some normalcy around your children's sleep schedules!

*Children need the same amount of sleep in the summer as they do any other time during the year.

*Many children don't "sleep in", so a late bedtime means lost sleep and built up sleep debt

*Black out your children's rooms and take travel black out shades with you to make going to bed easier and to help with early morning wake ups

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Have a safe and FUN summer!

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