Sleeping Through the Easter Sugar Rush

It's not Christmas or their Birthday, but that doesn't mean to say that the kids won't be getting over-excited about the impending chocolate this Easter weekend. The Easter Bunny tends to break up the monotony of the time post-Christmas, and as such can equate to a bit of a restless night come Saturday, and an early Sunday morning – which no one wants! Let's face it, nothing can be as difficult as Christmas Eve in terms of keeping up their normal bedtime routine – but even so, there are a couple of tricks that can make bedtime run that little bit smoother. Early Easter No, we’re not about to suggest letting your kids stuff themselves silly with chocolate to the point where they'll refuse any eggs when the Grandparents arrive for lunch come Sunday. We just mean that you can introduce a bit of Easter-based fun into the Saturday, and it'll help take the egg-centric hype down a level or two. Easter bonnets are a typical activity, but what about organising an early Easter egg hunt? You can readily find hollow, reusable plastic egg shells that you can fill with goodies. Popping a really small chocolate treat and another fun item, like an Easter sticker or small toy inside the shells makes the egg hunt a viable activity for them, and also takes away some of the buzz because they've already had an experience of what Easter itself is going to be like. Any energetic activities are good, as they will help tire the kids out! Stick to the Routine Aside from presenting the kids with some fun activities the day before, there's no reason why their bedtime routine should be different to any other Saturday night. Encourage some family time in the evening before starting a calm-down sequence of events. This could include having a bath, getting into their pyjamas and cleaning their teeth before sharing a story together – but don't shake things up. Keep things as consistent as ever, and maybe set a time at which they're allowed out of their rooms in the morning if you still feel that early wake-ups could be an issue! Sleeping Through the Easter Sugar Rush