I recently made the acquaintance of Leslie Baker, the “mom behind the keyboard” at Super Mom Picks, a parenting tips, ideas, and product reviews blog. She is the mother of three young children and we were talking about sleepovers. It seems like ages since my kiddos had their first sleepovers but I remember how exciting that age was. I am happy to have Leslie share her tips today on how to know if your child is ready for the first sleepover! I think you will find her 6 questions to ask yourself to know if they are ready for a sleepover very helpful.
My daughter and her first sleepover friend ready for breakfast!
The First Sleepover
Perhaps, like me, you remember your very first sleepover. Excitement and fear mixed together to make your first social cocktail of anxiety. Maybe your first sleepover was like mine – pure excitement knowing your night will be filled with friends, movies, silly kids songs, and special food a friend’s mom made JUST to cater to young taste buds.
Your own experiences with sleepovers can influence your choices about when you think your children are ready for the big milestone first sleepover. Milestones in parenting can bring excitement or tears. Sometimes it’s challenging to know when it is the right time to allow our children to have new privileges.
We ask ourselves many questions. Are they ready? Are we ready? However, we already know there are no perfect answers in parenting. All children are different and all parents are comfortable at different times. Generally, children start wanting to have sleepovers when they first have a good friend, which can be as soon as preschool, but as late as junior high.
If your child is asking to go to his or her first sleepover you might be wondering if it’s the right time. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you in making the decision.
6 Questions To Ask Yourself To See If Your Child Is Ready For Their First Sleepover
Will your child be afraid to call you if they need you?
If your child is not ready for a sleepover and they don’t realize it until they are at a friend’s house, you need to know your child will not be afraid to call you. At some ages, it might be difficult for a child to discern appropriate from inappropriate adult behavior. How well do you know the host and hostess of the first sleepover? You don’t want your child to be around a parent who drinks excessively and yells or adults who watch television shows your child is uncomfortable viewing. You should have the confidence in knowing your child will call if they need you, are uncomfortable, or just miss you.
A child will need to be comfortable asking an adult if they can call home and have memorized your phone number. These days few people have home phones, so being comfortable with how to use a cell phone is important too.
Is your child confident with other adults?
When staying at someone’s house social skills are important. A good sign a child is ready to stay overnight is being able to express themselves to adults with confidence. Knowing the social graces of eating what they are given, saying please, thank you and showing general respect to adults and other people’s things are all good signs your child is ready to be away from you for a night to stay with trusted friends.
Does your child sleep through the night without crying or nightmares?
If your child is still very fearful at night they probably aren’t ready to be away from home overnight. Plus, it’s an awful thing to do to another parent to ask them to comfort your child through the night when you know they are going to need to be comforted back to sleep.
If your child is in a season of having nightmares frequently, then they probably need the comfort of their own home and parent when they wake up in the middle of the night. Stages like this are common, but not the best time to start sleeping over with a friend.
Is your child willing to eat the food they are served?
If you have a picky eater, then you have to decide if them going to a house where they might not eat anything is a healthy choice for your child. Depending on your child’s age and maturity, knowing what and if they will eat what they are given could be a determining factor as to whether or not they are ready for a sleepover. Children will not starve if they don’t have one meal, but consider this while you are making your decision about whether or not your child is ready.
Is your child capable of doing their bedtime routine unassisted?
If your child knows the bedtime routine it’s a good sign they are mature enough to have an overnight without you. Knowing that at night there is a set bedtime, teeth and hair brushing, and time for pajamas shows a great amount of maturity. Being able to do these tasks on their own without putting up a fight with another adult shows a sign of readiness.
Has your child stayed away from home with you overnight?
Since there are several factors used in assessing readiness, knowing whether or not your child is comfortable away from home is an important factor. It obviously doesn’t help you know if your child is ready to be away from the family overnight, but often being excited about staying in a new place is a good sign they will do well at a friend’s house.
In short, there are no perfect ages to start the first sleepover for your children. However, asking yourself a few questions about their readiness will give you the confidence you need to send them off to enjoy a sleepover when you are both ready.
Related Posts:
Fun Sleepover Ideas
Fun Board Games
Fun Backyard Games
Source: Parenting - familyfocusblog.com
