Sensory solutions: Calming your child before bed with play
Is your child wild before bedtime?
Does just the word ‘Bedtime’ seem to trigger your child’s body to suddenly wake up and go into some sort of overdrive where they’re jumping off the bed and running around the house as if they’ve had a caffeine shot? (Please tell me it's not just in our house?!!)
Often clients come to me in frustration saying that Dad is getting involved in all the crazy chaos and they feel like the wicked witch trying to stop the fun and calm things down for a relaxing bedtime. However, it may come as a surprise that some of that active play before bedtime really can be very useful.
Why is sensory play good before bedtime?
Sensory play is great, because kids sometimes need sensory stimulation for the nervous system to wind down and feel calm.
This can be for several reasons:
They have a higher threshold for sensory stimulation so generally need more than others.
They haven’t had enough movement during the day.
They have been overstimulated during the day due to having a lot of exciting experiences, having a lot of demands put on them or having lots of transitions from one activity to another.
So, if you find that your child is quite hyper at bedtime, try to include some sensory play into the routine to satisfy their need for movement BEFORE you want them to calm down.
Example of a bedtime routine with sensory play
1. Connection
I always recommend including some special time with your child when possible.
2. Activities to activate the vestibular sense
The vestibular sense is your child's inner sense of balance and movement. Rolling and swinging activities are great for this. For example, swinging your child gently in a blanket, throwing them gently onto the bed, dragging them along the floor in a blanket, rocking them in your lap or on a chair.
I have an example of the blanket swing idea here on my Instagram:
3. Activities to activate the proprioceptive sense
The proprioceptive sense is your child's "body awareness," letting them know where their limbs are and how much force they need to apply to something. Rough and tumble activities are great for calming and organising an overwhelmed nervous system. These include heavy work activities such as pillow chops, throwing heavy teddies/pillows off bed, crawling through a tunnel, climbing over the back of the sofa or doing a blanket squeeze.
I have an example of the blanket squeeze idea on my Instagram here:
4. Transition to bed/brushing teeth
Follow the sensory activities with something calming like a bath (as long as that's not a splash fest!!), massage, playing with a calming glitter bottle, yoga or reading a story. In our house, there are a couple of things our kids like – here are some videos from my Instagram to show us Squeezing the Sillies and practicing some yoga:
What if your child still won’t go to sleep without a fuss?
Sometimes overtiredness can look like wild behaviour before bedtime, so I would always advise you to check whether your child is going to bed at the correct bedtime for them. This is always tricky to know for sure, but you can check general timings here.
If you still need some support, download my Bedtime Battles and Night Wakes Guide here for more ideas of developmentally appropriate strategies (for ages 2-8years) built on building connection and improving bedtime.