These five simple tricks will get kids to sleep early on Christmas Eve

23 December 2021, 12:38 | Updated: 3 January 2022, 10:51

By Heart

@thisisheart

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house... children were screaming, parents were at their wits' end and there were still presents to be wrapped - but it could have been different.

Getting your excited kids to go to sleep on Christmas Eve can be a battle - especially when you know they’ll be waking up in the early hours wanting to see if Santa has been.

New research from Play Like Mum found that a third of children struggle to drop off on December 24, which can cause stress for the whole family and threatens to ruin the big day with over tiredness, too.

But although it is one of the most challenging nights to get kids to bed, there are a few tips and tricks you can try to make bedtime less fraught.

From wearing them out to telling some little white lies, here are five great tips that you can try this year...

Tire them out

Wake your kids up early on Christmas Eve and fill the day with loads of festive activity so your kids are able to burn off energy.

Whether that’s helping to prepare for the next day’s dinner, tidying their room and making space for all the new toys they hope to get, or old fashioned exercise.

Try going on a walk to see the local Christmas lights in the evening, or suggest a long nature walk as a family.

Another great way to keep them occupied is to get them making Christmas cards for elderly neighbours, carers or NHS staff as a gesture of good will.

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Cut out sweets

Limit the number of sweet treats your child can have on Christmas Eve and set a deadline to reduce the chance of an unwanted sugar rush before bedtime.

Make sure any guests or visitors know about this, too.

Tell a little fib

Build excitement for going to bed by telling them that Father Christmas doesn’t visit homes where people are awake.

Getting to sleep = getting presents.

Provide bedtime drinks

It's not just Father Christmas who benefits from light refreshments on Christmas Eve.

A cup of milk or cherry juice can help kids drop off to sleep as they are naturally high in melatonin and tryptophan - compounds that promote sleep.

Just make sure whatever you give them to drink is sugar-free!

Put them to bed slightly earlier

Give little ones who are super excited about waking up to Christmas presents extra time to wind down by bringing their bedtime routine forward.

Have earlier dinners and baths and get them into bed an hour to 30 minutes earlier than their usual time.

If you need to change the clocks to make them think it’s much later than it really is, then do it!