Ten Tips to Turn Bedtime into Sleep Time

By Lori Lite

Top 10 fun tips you and your child will love!

Serve up a mostly banana, banana split for an early evening snack. The high content of potassium, magnesium and serotonin found in bananas promote relaxation and earns you big points with the kids.

Teach your child belly breathing with a story called “A Boy and a Bear”. This simple, self-calming technique decreases stress and insures a more restful sleep.

Have a good laugh! Take turns telling jokes or reading a joke book together. Laughter is a great stress reducer and encourages happy dreams.

Be creative! Paint a soothing dolphin on their bedroom wall or hang a large photo of their favorite pet. It is comforting to fall asleep looking at a smiling face.

Turn on your favorite relaxation music or try a CD designed to lull children to sleep while teaching them relaxation techniques. The “Indigo Dreams” CD is a kid favorite.

Try an eye pillow. It is a novelty for kids and it keeps their eyes closed long enough to fall asleep.

Change your child’s bed sheets and blanket to a calming shade of blue. Blue’s restful and peaceful qualities evoke images of tropical waters and clear skies.

Create a kid spa by making a bubble bath and lighting candles instead of lights. Yes, even kids enjoy pampering themselves.

Take your child outside to blow bubbles. Imagine putting anything you are worried about into the bubble and watch it float away. The “Indigo Dreams: Garden of Wellness” CD has a bubble blowing practice session to help you out.

Exchange foot rubs, back massages, or facials. You and your child will both benefit from this one!

Lori Lite began creating stories to insure her own children's strong state of mind and peaceful sleep. Her own experiences with stress and anxiety ailments sent her searching for techniques that people could utilize in their everyday lives. Ms. Lite's books, CDs and curriculums are considered a resource for psychologists, therapists, child life specialists, teachers, and yoga instructors. Her Indigo Dreams audio book/CD series has been awarded the CNE Award of Excellence. Ms. Lite has been interviewed and written articles for several media outlets, including: ABC Radio; CBS News; Prevention Magazine; USA Today; Web MD; Stress Free Living; Mind, Body, and Soul; and Evolve Magazine. She has also been featured in several publications which include Parents Guide New York and Atlanta Parent Magazine. Lori Lite’s love of the ocean and her family inspired her to create Affirmation Weaver, Angry Octopus, Bubble riding, and Sea Otter Cove.