Sleepover is an occasion when children spend the night at a friend’s or family member’s home. This activity can be fun and thrilling for children since they get to be away on their own. Sleepovers allow children to socialise, engage in fun activities such as watching films, enjoying snacks, partaking in makeovers, playing games, and staying up late.
As fun as sleepovers are, parents get worried about their child’s safety during the time they are away from home. Trusting other adults with your child’s safety and well-being can be daunting, but you can navigate through this challenge. Explore these sleepover tips to help reduce stress and anxiety when your child attends a sleepover.
Helpful Tips for Parents to Ease Their Minds During Sleepovers
It’s important to prepare for sleepovers for the peace of mind of both the child and the parent. Children gain so much from sleepovers and you would want them to enjoy the experience. As parents, there are ways you can prepare them to stay safe while they are away. Here are 10 tips to help parents deal with and prepare for sleepovers.
Communicate
Communicating openly and honestly with your child creates trust. When the child feels comfortable and safe speaking to their parents, they will be able to talk about unsafe situations. Children are easily susceptible to peer pressure and other adults. They need to be able to speak out to their family if they are put in an uncomfortable position or experience when they are away from home.
Is Your Child Ready?
Sleeping in another person’s home can bring a lot of advantages to a child but there are also dangers of sleepovers that parents should be aware of. Sending a child that isn’t ready to spend the night away can impact them negatively. You can start small by testing them by spending a night together at a family member’s home.
Another way to check if your child is ready for a sleepover is to let them ask permission to host or join one. It’s best to not force the child to do anything they are uncomfortable with as this can discourage them from trying new things.
Ask Questions
It’s good to ask your child questions about their experience after a sleepover. If you feel they are uncomfortable discussing their time over at another person’s house or if the child is being unnaturally quiet, it’s good to investigate further.
Speaking to the parents who are hosting the sleepover can sometimes be uncomfortable as you might want to ask questions so you can be ensured that your child will be safe. It’s advisable to be honest with the other adults about your expectations and feelings about your child spending the night away. Pave the way to have an open and pleasant conversation so all the parents can feel comfortable about the sleepover.
Contact Information
Compile your contact information in more than one place so your child can have easy access. It’s rare to memorise a phone number these days with the ease of using smartphones but it’s always good to have the child remember one phone number for emergencies.
You can write down the emergency contact information that includes another family member’s number and laminate it as a small note. This can be placed in the child’s backpack if they don’t have access to their phone. It’s also advisable for parents to record the contact information of the adults who are hosting the sleepover.
Plans For the Next Day
After a sleepover, it’s inevitable for the child to feel tired. Try to keep the day plans free and let the child rest and recuperate. It’s all right for the child to have trouble falling asleep or sleep late during a sleepover. When you are prepared to deal with a tired child, it’s easier to manage their tiredness and cranky behaviour.
Exit Strategy
Having a good exit strategy for emergencies during a sleepover is just good planning. At times, young children might not be able to fall asleep in a different place and they might be scared. In cases like this, parents will have to make the trip to pick the child up before the night is over.
Assure the child that changing their mind about spending the night is acceptable, especially if they feel uncomfortable or afraid. If you cannot collect your child during the sleepover, arrange for a family member to be on standby as a contingency plan.
Packing
Pack essentials that you think your child will need during the sleepover but get your child involved in the process. It’s good to have a checklist that you can refer to when packing. Essentials like a toothbrush, toothpaste, pyjamas and a hairbrush are some of the things the child would need.
Older children may need more essentials to pack, so updating the checklist as the child grows is a good idea. Involving the child in the packing process allows them to decide whether they require a comfort pillow or a plushie for their nighttime adventure.
Get To Know The Parents
It’s important to get to know the parents who are hosting the sleepover. If you are hosting the occasion in your home, make the effort to reach out to other parents to ensure them that you are available to answer any concerns or questions.
Avoid sending your child to a sleepover without talking or getting to know the other adults. This is a basic safety rule that should be followed by all parents when planning to send their child to a sleepover.
Ground Rules
Setting ground rules helps the child to have a better experience during a sleepover. Rules help the group of children avoid arguments and other problems when sleeping over. Talk about boundaries and off-limits in the home and it’s best to avoid outdoor activities at night.
Children are usually too excited to sleep when they spend the night somewhere else so it’s good to set a firm bedtime for sleepovers. Set age-appropriate bedtimes so the children will not be too affected by the lack of sleep the next day. There should be some rules set about eating during sleepovers too. Free food can be fun and exciting but set some flexible rules to limit sugar intake during the night.
Etiquette
Teach your child proper etiquette and manners that will help them behave well in another person’s home. Even if they are sleeping over at a close friend’s home, good manners should be practised. Children can get carried away when they are having fun with their friends so parents should make it clear that they need to behave at all times.
For example, teach the child to be respectful of other people’s belongings. When your child behaves well in another person’s home, it’s likely for them to be invited to more sleepovers.
Sleepover is a Blast!
In conclusion, sending your children to sleepovers may be worrisome but it has many benefits for the whole family. Parents need to conquer their worries and fear regarding their children. Children will lose out on valuable experiences if parents are too strict and worried. Parents can take advantage of these sleepover tips to make sleepover night enjoyable and fun for everyone.
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