Parents Lose 8 Days Worth of Sleep Putting Children to Bed

Both mothers and fathers are estimated to lose eight days worth of sleep a year, according to a survey conducted by Disney UK.

The Poll

Both mothers and fathers took part in the survey, in which half of the polled parents reported that they found it difficult to put their children to sleep after a summer of unrestricted bedtime. Parents also reported that their children came up with excuses not to sleep, including anything from using the bathroom to more extravagant excuses like supposedly waiting for a phone call.

One average, parents spend about 32 minutes each night trying to put their child to sleep – a total of 8 days in one year. Some 40 percent of parents reported that they have to return to their child’s bedroom three times in one night, amounting to 60ft a night or the equivalent of climbing the Big Ben each week.

According to polled parents, putting their children to sleep is the most stressful part of their day – more stressful even than pressure at work or their daily commute.

The Solution

To help kids sleep, Chief Marketing Officer Anna Hill at Disney UK suggested that parents call the new Disney call service each night, which offers special goodnight messages for kids from characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Cinderella.

“As a mum, I know how tiring bedtime can be after a long day,” Hill said. “We hope giving parents the chance to ‘phone a friend’ to help will help make it a calmer, more restful and, ultimately, more magical occasion for the whole family.”

The National Health Service suggested that implementing a bedtime routine 20 minutes before a child is meant to fall asleep can help in the nightly battle. The NHS also suggested giving a child a short bath before bed, and place them in other spaces they don’t associate with daytime activity.

Source: Express