BOISE, ID — With back to school starting for many Treasure Valley kids next week, getting back on a regular schedule is key.
Pediatrician Jared Thompson of the Caldwell Saint Alphonsus Medical Center is who I went and spoke with about how parents can get their children on a regular healthy sleep schedule in the wake of school starting up.
Thompson mentioned that kids may be nervous about starting school. He said introducing them to the teacher or walking them through how their day will look may very well help with calming those first day jitters.
Thompson also gave me a rundown on how much sleep kids should be getting as well as some helpful tips on how to transition those kids off their summer sleep schedule.
“If you have a preschooler, they need about ten hours of sleep at night. If you have a kid going into kindergarten, if you have a grade schooler, at least nine hours at night. Then for our teenagers, 13 and up, eight hours,” explained Thompson.
The pediatrician also gave a few tips for how to normalize a better sleep schedule.
The first step to success to get your kid on a healthy sleep schedule is to make sure they have a consistent bedtime. The second step, make sure that consistent bedtime stays throughout the weekend. The third step Doctor Thompson says is it’s easier to sleep in a cool dark room. So you may want to turn a fan on and make sure you cover those windows. The final step is to make sure you have a consistent bedtime routine. Whether it’s taking a shower, taking a bath, washing your face, or reading a book. But, make sure that the routine does not consist of any screens or blue light.
Thompson also wanted to make sure parents were aware of some of the dangers of giving children melatonin.
“I get a lot of questions about melatonin. Is it safe for kids? Is it not? We need to remember that melatonin is not a sleeping pill. It's a hormone. it's listed as a dietary supplement. Just a few words for caution, we have seen from 2012 to 2021 a 500 percent increase in overdoses for kids. We have seen some cases where there has been up to four times the amount of melatonin. So maybe if you're giving your kid five milligrams, you may be giving them 20 milligrams. so what i would recommend when you are purchasing melatonin, get one that has u-s-p verified or certified on it. that has been tested and verified to have that correct amount of melatonin in it.”
