Sleep Struggles After Summer
Sleep Struggles After Summer: How to Reset Your Child’s Routine
Summer holidays are full of late evenings, busy days, and disrupted routines. While the extra family time and adventures are wonderful, many parents notice that sleep takes a backseat. Bedtimes creep later, naps are skipped, and before you know it your child’s sleep routine feels like it has unravelled completely.
As September arrives and the nursery term begins, parents often ask me: “How do I get my toddlers’s sleep back on track?” The good news is that toddler’s are incredibly adaptable. With a gentle reset and a bit of consistency, you can help your child re-establish healthy sleep habits.
Why Summer Disrupts Sleep?
It’s no surprise that summer often throws sleep off balance.
Longer daylight hours make it harder for children to wind down in the evenings.
Exciting activities and holidays mean naps are skipped or bedtimes are later.
Changes in environment (like camping, travelling, or staying with relatives) can interrupt sleep associations.
Research shows that consistent sleep schedules are strongly linked to children’s emotional regulation, concentration, and physical health. Even small changes in bedtime can shift circadian rhythms and affect mood and behaviour the following day (Mindell & Williamson, 2018).
How to Reset Your Child’s Sleep Routine
1. Shift Bedtime Gradually
Instead of moving bedtime back in one go, adjust by 10–15 minutes every night until you reach your child’s usual bedtime. This gradual shift helps the body clock realign without a bedtime battle.
2. Re-establish a Wind-Down Routine
Children thrive on predictability. Re-introduce your usual bedtime routine, it might be: bath, story, cuddles, dim lights. Keeping this calm and consistent signals to your child’s brain that it’s time to sleep.
3. Control the Sleep Environment
Darkness helps melatonin production, which is essential for sleep. Consider blackout blinds if evenings are still light. Keep the room cool (around 16–20°C is ideal) and quiet. A white noise machine can help block out household, street noise and a noisy brain.
4. Watch for Overtiredness
Overtired children are harder to settle and often wake more at night. Look out for early sleep cues, rubbing eyes, zoning out, or becoming more irritable and move bedtime earlier for a few nights if needed.
5. Reinforce Morning Wake Times
Waking your child at a consistent time in the morning helps reset their circadian rhythm. Even if bedtime was later than planned, avoid long lie-ins, as these can delay the whole routine. Your child’s nap time might come forward a little or be longer for a period which compensates for the potential less sleep.
6. Limit Evening Stimulation
Screens, bright lights, and energetic play all delay melatonin release. Aim for screen-free, calm activities in the hour before bed, puzzles, books, or quiet play are perfect. Unless you have a high energy child and they might need 15minutes of active play before the calm activities, this might be dancing, going for a short run, jumping or an obstacle course.
How Long Will It Take?
Most children adjust within a week or two with consistent boundaries. If your child is starting school or nursery, a solid sleep routine will give them the energy and focus they need to manage the transition. Be prepared for potentially more tantrums, dysregulation and needing more food as sleep disruptions and not enough sleep are both well researched triggers for tantrums and emotional dysregulation.
Final Thoughts
It’s completely normal for sleep routines to slip over the summer it’s part of making memories. But just as quickly, you can reset. With gentle steps, consistency, and realistic expectations, your child’s sleep will fall back into place. Remember, sleep is a skill your child is still learning. You are their guide, helping them feel secure, rested, and ready for the new season ahead.
Need More Support?
We cover topics like baby sleep, toddler sleep, responsive parenting and managing toddlers emotions in our expert-led courses for babies and toddlers. If you’d like guidance that’s evidence-based and parent-friendly, check out our courses or for more personal support our 1:1 coaching.
References
Mindell, J. A., & Williamson, A. A. (2018). Benefits of a bedtime routine in young children: Sleep, development, and beyond. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 40, 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2017.10.007
Bathory, E., & Tomopoulos, S. (2017). Sleep regulation, physiology and development, and behavior in infants and young children. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 29(5), 579–585. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOP.0000000000000522
Paruthi, S., Brooks, L. J., D’Ambrosio, C., Hall, W. A., Kotagal, S., Lloyd, R. M., Malow, B. A., Maski, K., Nichols, C., Quan, S. F., Rosen, C. L., Troester, M. M., & Wise, M. S. (2016). Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on the Recommended Amount of Sleep for Healthy Children: Methodology and Discussion. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12(11), 1549–1561. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6288
National Sleep Foundation. (2020). Children and Sleep: Sleep Duration Recommendations and Guidelines. https://www.thensf.org/children-and-sleep
Hale, L., & Guan, S. (2015). Screen time and sleep among school-aged children and adolescents: A systematic literature review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 21, 50–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2014.07.007