You’d have a hard time finding a child who doesn’t excitedly anticipate the return of summertime. Not only do the summer months represent a lengthy break from school, this time of year is also synonymous with family travel, outdoor activities and various other types of fun. However, the summer season isn’t without its flaws. Due to the extreme temperatures many parts of the country experience, children – and adults, for that matter – often have trouble sleeping comfortably, and as any seasoned parent can tell you, dealing with children who haven’t slept properly is no walk in the park. Parents looking to ensure that their little ones enjoy a high quality of slumber all summer long should consider making the following alterations to their sleeping spaces.
Install Ceiling Fans
No bedroom should be without a ceiling fan, especially during the sweltering summer months. So, if any of your children’s bedrooms are fan-less, there’s no time like the present to rectify this mistake. Dependable ceiling fans can help circulate cool air from your home AC system throughout the entire residence, which can prove highly conducive to nighttime comfort. Additionally, when their blades are set to rotate counterclockwise, they can blow air directly downwards, creating a refreshing breeze.
No matter how small – or large – your children’s bedrooms are, you should have no trouble finding suitable ceiling fans. Since these fans come in a convenient variety of sizes, there are bound to be some that are uniquely suited to your kids’ sleeping spaces. For example, if a bedroom has very little ceiling space to spare, hugger ceiling fans should be right up your alley.
Purchase Bedding Designed for Warm Weather
If your children use cold weather bedding year-round, they’re liable to experience some extremely uncomfortable summer nights. As such, if any of your kids currently lack dedicated warm weather bedding, you’d do well to get on top of this. When searching for the right summertime bedding for your kids, keep an eye out for sheeters and comforters made from light, natural, breathable materials, like cotton, bamboo and silk. Furthermore, make sure your little ones have dedicated warm weather pajamas. As is the case with summertime bedding, these pajamas should be made from highly-breathable moisture-wicking materials.
Take Measures Against Excessive Sunlight
Unless your kids enjoy getting up at the crack of dawn, the blazing summer sun is liable to contribute to discomfort. In addition to making sleeping spaces uncomfortably bright, the summertime sun can increase the temperature in your children’s bedrooms. That being the case, you should take measures to keep outside light to a minimum.
There are two tools that are commonly used for this task – blackout curtains and blackout screens. Per their name, blackout curtains are designed to stop sunlight in its tracks and minimize the amount of outside light that’s able to find its way inside. As an added bonus, many blackout curtains are composed of thick thermal materials, which helps them seal in cool air. Similarly, during the bitterly cold winter months, these same curtains can be used to seal in warm air and keep cold air at bay. Blackout screens, while a little cheaper, generally don’t last as long or provide the same level of sun protection as the aforementioned curtains. Additionally, if the screens you purchase are of the stick-on variety, you won’t be able to reattach them to windows after they’ve been removed. Since either of these tools stands to make your children’s bedrooms quite dark, make sure they have ready access to nightlights and/or flashlights to prevent potential nighttime injuries.
Install Energy-Efficient Windows
Energy-efficient windows can help your children’s bedrooms maintain comfortably cool temperatures all night long. As the name implies, these windows are designed to minimize the amount of indoor air that escapes and the amount of outdoor air that finds its way inside. Although they cost more than standard windows, the multiple panes they’re equipped with make them highly adept at sealing in cool air and reducing utility costs.
It’s easy to see why children spend the entire year looking forward to summer’s return. With school out for a whopping three months, kids are free to run around outdoors, catch up with their favorite shows and play to their hearts’ content. However, the extreme heat that the season brings is liable to make sleeping through the night an arduous undertaking for many children. To provide your little ones with a summer full of comfortable nights, put the previously discussed tips to good use.
In hot summers, my children often bother me. Feeling very uncomfortable and tired. I finally found an article that helped me. Thank you for sharing