As Bahrain prepares for the new school year!

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Report by Julia Cassano

With the start of the school year quickly approaching, it is essential to establish an effective routine in both yours and your children’s lives, say experts.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Olga Ghali, a certified life coach and mother of two, said, "With having to keep track of various things on a daily basis, weekly and monthly plans should be monitored using a digital or paper planner to record what is coming up, as it’s easy to forget."

She stressed the need for posting the schedule in a busy area of the house where everyone can see it and keep an eye out for upcoming duties.

Rather than leaving things till the last minute, the life coach suggested organising your morning routine for the start of the new year beforehand by implementing habits.

She recommended packing your children’s school backpack, uniform, and lunch box the night before, so you aren’t rushing the morning of.

Even though setting practical morning routines can make it so your morning runs a bit smoother, evening routines are just as important, Lisa Aylor, Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT), lab manager, and clinical coordinator at American Gulf Sleep Diagnostics in Bahrain, claimed. "Start with your own sleep schedule.

Children learn by example; when you make sleep a priority and stick with a schedule, it’ll be easier for your child to do the same," Aylor recommended.

Start a week before

It’s important to be realistic, Aylor proposed. "Having dinner earlier and being realistic about after-school or work activities that could interfere with bedtime is important."

And to instill early routines, working in 15-minute increments to ease your child back into their nighttime routine will make it simpler for your child to fall into a habit, Aylor stated.

"For example, the week before school, have your child go to bed 15 minutes earlier until they are back to a reasonable time." In addition to working in increments, creating a comfortable sleeping environment is essential.

"Prepare a warm bath—a good way for your child to settle down for the night.And if your child goes to bed while it’s still light out, room-darkening blinds can help." Furthermore, Aylor pointed out that keeping the room temperature cold yet comfortable can aid sleep.

Go screenless before bed

The artificial light from TVs, computers, video games, and other electronic devices disrupts our melatonin, our natural sleep hormone, while the content of the media engages the brain. "This double whammy makes it hard for your child to fall asleep," Aylor reported.

She suggested starting to power down the electronics a couple hours before bed to ensure the mind can rest properly.

Caffeine

Remember that other variables can pose risks to routines. With the effects of caffeine lasting for several hours and interfering with sleep quantity and quality, caffeine should not be consumed at all by children, or at least not after lunch.

The expert recommends water or plain, low-fat milk. "Many parents might be surprised to learn that some brands of soft drinks, such as orange soda and root beer, contain caffeine.

Chocolate and chocolate milk are less of an issue, but they can still affect sleep," Aylor said.