Sweet treats and sleep

Easter weekend is often filled with celebrations with friends and family; Easter roast dinners, and visits from the Easter bunny! Your little ones sleep routine during this time can often get lost and forgotten about. With all the excitement, and sweet treats, it is important to not only stick to your little ones routine, but also monitor and be aware of the effects of sugar and chocolate.

How much is too much?

As the majority of sweet treats are chocolate, the popular branded eggs contain between 55-65% sugar. This equates to the average 100g milk chocolate bunny containing 13-15 teaspoons of added sugar! The NHS recommends that for children ages 4-6, no more than 19g of sugar per day should be consumed. Similarly, children aged 7-10 should consume no more than 24g of sugar per day.

How do sweet treats effect sleep?

Consuming sweet treats late in the afternoon or evening can affect quality of sleep. Having these sugary treats too close to bedtime can cause blood sugar levels to spike, and then crash back down once your little one is sleeping. This crash in sugar levels can often cause us to then wake up, or struggle to settle down to sleep in the first place. Some chocolate, dark chocolate particularly, can contain caffeine, which can further contribute to an unsettled nights sleep, so be sure to check this as well as the sugar content.

Bebbington’s Top Tips

• Being mindful of your child’s overall diet is very important, especially when it can affect their quality of sleep.
• Watch the timing – as sugar provides energy, its best to keep the chocolate and sugary treats away from bedtime and nap times.
• Check the sugar and caffeine contents in all those Easter sweet treats so that you can keep sugar levels as close to normal as possible.
• Try to stick to your normal bedtime routine.
• Bring the magic to your child’s bedtime with the Klearvol range.