Managing the Clock Change - Our top tips
With a large crew of little people who have a huge fear of missing out on the very exciting things that are surely happening past their bedtime and also then at the crack of dawn, we’ve got our eyes on the clock change coming this October and have been thinking about the best ways to manage it and help them (and us) towards a good night’s kip.
When the clocks went back pre-kids we looked forward to dark & cosy Autumnal evenings in and an extra hour in bed in the morning. Now of course things are a little different and whilst we might be able to get everyone into bed a little earlier than usual, we can also guarantee that they will be up a good hour earlier too!
We all know that sleep can be tricky at the best of times for some children (and probably most toddlers). We have a real mix of sleepers in our homes - from 9 year olds with busy minds at night to 7 year olds who nod off quickly and need to be woken every morning to stubborn 2 year olds who refuse to let their head hit the pillow, plus everything in between! With that in mind, we have pulled together some of our tried and trusted methods and tips for calmer evenings and better bedtimes. From yoga to audible and a cup of bedtime tea for kids, we’ve got it all covered.
1) When the crew are feeling a little wound up post-school and need to reign in that nervous energy and gain some calm and focus, we love a Cosmic Kids Yoga session. It’s great to have something that balances movement and mindfulness and resets them for the evening. The lovely Jaime has created everything from Minecraft to Going on a Bear Hunt themed routines so there is something for everyone – though we would recommend one of the bedtime yoga videos for full wind down vibes.
2) Epsom baths have been aiding sleep and recovery for years. In fact we love them so much we recently collaborated with a local family run business to create our very own Snoozy Bath Salts infused with Camomile & Lavender essential oils (inspired by the flavours in our Snoozy Fox tea). A good wallow in them helps us and our little people to relax and re-centre in the evening.
3) Our two eldest Wildlings were gifted Bloom & Blossom Pillow Spray by Santa in their stockings a few years back and pillow spray has now become a bit of a ritual at bedtimes. The little people love that the Bloom & Blossom products are Roald Dahl themed and decorated with gorgeous Quentin Blake illustrations. We’ve also had fun making our own aromatherapy concoctions to help us relax, by filling pulse point rollerball bottles with combinations of lavender, sandalwood and camomile oils.
4) If our kids’ minds are racing as they crawl between the sheets and they still can’t switch off after 3 (or more!) bedtime stories, good old audible often comes to the rescue. Our small people love to drift off listening to an audiobook. Recently we’ve been loving The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby and The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Rauf. In fact, we’ve been known to drift off to them too…
5) Last, but by no means least, we’re big advocates of a comforting herbal brew before traipsing upstairs to the land of nod. Camomile tea has been a staple in our houses before bed for as long as we can remember and we wanted our little people to be able to enjoy it’s calming effect too.
Small & Wild’s Snoozy Fox Tea for kids has been carefully crafted to create the perfect blend to relax testing toddlers, chaotic kids and anxious teens alike. Ideal for before bed, our Snoozy Fox tea contains camomile (which comes with a whole host of benefits and has been used for centuries to treat everything from upset stomachs to insomnia) alongside stress-reducing lavender, relaxing lemon balm and spearmint, which is known to aid digestion.
Sending all our happy tea drinkers love and luck with the clock change. We would love to hear how you cope with it and any top tips you would like to share!
Happy Snoozing…
Becky & Kate
x
