Kally Kids Body Pillow Review & Giveaway + Sleep Tips for Kids

Above: Kally Kids Body Pillow in Over the Rainbow

Kally Kids Body Pillow Review & Giveaway + Sleep Tips for Kids

Sleep is important for everyone but even more so for growing children. Think about all the things their bodies go through — the changes, the growing, the brain’s development… of course they need plenty of good quality sleep but unfortunately this is not the case for many children.

The Issue: Children don’t Sleep Well or Enough

Here in the UK, children are particularly bad sleepers. In fact, British children are the most sleep-deprived in Europe according to a 2011 study and I’m sure it’s gotten worse since then due to the increase in use of technology.

Children are not sleeping enough and this impacts so many areas of their lives. Overtiredness affects children differently but generally you can expect tired children to be grumpy and have mood swings. Young children often get clingy or defiant (this happens with my no-longer-napping toddler a lot!) and older children often get a bit hyperactive and find it difficult to concentrate. This can cause problems at school, naturally.

My oldest daughter is 5 years old and she get’s hyper and argumentative when she’s not slept enough — it’s so obvious when she’s not had a good night’s sleep.

How Much Sleep is Enough?

So how much sleep do kids need? On average toddlers need 12-14 hours, 3-6-year-olds need 10-12 hours, 7-12-year-olds need 9-12 hours and teens need around 8-10 hours.

Sleep Tips for Kids – How to Get your Child to Sleep More

There are many things you can do to help your child sleep more at night and ensure they have a good night’s sleep.

• Ditch the naps – If your child is young and you’ve noticed that they’re difficult to put to sleep at night — they take very long to fall asleep, seem restless, don’t want to go to bed, etc. — then it might be time to cut out any naps or at least limit the length and watch when they happen. My toddler hasn’t napped regularly for some time now as we noticed she just wouldn’t fall asleep until very late at night if she slept in the day. Now she gets tired towards the end of the afternoon but is happy to go to bed at 6.30-7pm and will fall asleep easily and stay asleep until 7am the next day. If you’re struggling to get your toddler to sleep at night, definitely try reducing naps!
• Stick to a routine – We often hear about how important routines are for babies and toddlers but many forget about these for older children. School age kids also benefit from having a routine in their everyday life and this includes bedtime. Stick to the routine each day (even on weekends) and your child will adjust to the routine and recognise the pattern and will prepare mentally and physically for sleep.
• Watch your child’s diet – Don’t let your child eat sugary treats like sweets or ice cream near bedtime as this will not help them sleep at all. A healthy meal is best and if they’re hungry before bed, try a banana or a glass of milk or other foods that can help you sleep.
• Limit screen time – Watching TV or playing on iPads or smartphones close to bedtime is not a good idea for anyone, no matter what age you are. Screen time delays the release of the hormones that make us feel sleepy so looking at screens close to bedtime will make it more difficult for us to fall asleep. Have a screen cut off time of maybe one hour before bedtime to help your child sleep better. We do this with our eldest as she takes loads longer to fall asleep when she’s been watching Netflix close to bedtime. Instead of screen time, try activities like playing with Lego, drawing or reading to help your child wind down before bed.
• Talk to your child – This is an important step that is often forgotten. Talk to your child and explain why sleep is so important for their growing body and developing brain. Explain that a good night’s sleep will help them be in a good mood, better behaved, stronger and smarter. If they know sleeping will help them be their best, they might be more up for going to bed!
• A space for sleep – Keep your child’s bedroom as calm and tidy as possible. Older children can be responsible for this themselves. We have a bedroom for the kids that’s just a bedroom. We don’t keep any toys in there to keep it calm and uncluttered to help our children relax and fall asleep. We have curtains with blackout liners to make it darker in the room (essential in the spring and summer!) and we monitor the temperature to ensure it doesn’t get too hot in there.  Our toddler has a bed guard on her bed to ensure she doesn’t fall out of bed and our 5-year-old has a Kally Kids Body Pillow to cuddle up to at night to make her feel more comfortable and secure. She’s always been a cuddly sleeper and this works really well for her.

Kally Kids Body Pillow Review + Exclusive Discount Code

Kally has been making body pillows for adults for some time and have now got a range for children too. The Kally Kids Body Pillow (£42.99) has been designed to help children get to sleep and stay asleep which is exactly what they need. The pillow helps promote safe, deep and uninterrupted sleep and the shape provides support for your growing child’s neck, back and spine.

The removable breathable cotton Jersey cover is included and available in three fun designs. This material is soft and lovely and will also help your child stay cool — something that’s very important to us as our children get really warm when they’re asleep.

The pillow itself is hypoallergenic and both pillow and cover can be washed at home in your washing machine.

We have the Over the Rainbow design for our rainbow obsessed daughter, but it also comes in two other designs — Moon and Back & Cloud Surfing. All three are gorgeous!

The design of the Kally Kids Body Pillow encourages healthy sleep positions for your child and leaves them feeling weightless as the pressure is taken of their growing muscles and joints.

The size of this pillow is 130cm x 30cm and it’s recommended from ages 4 years and above.

My 5-year-old loves her new body pillow — it’s perfect for her! She snuggles up to it every night when she goes to bed and sleeps very well with it.

Kally Kids Body Pillow Exclusive Discount Code

Enjoy 20% off your Kally Kids Body Pillow with my exclusive discount code:

“AMR20”

Giveaway: Win a Kally Kids Body Pillow!

For a chance to win a Kally Kids Body Pillow in the design of your choice (depends on availability), enter through my Rafflecopter below. Terms & Conditions apply. UK Entrants over the age of 18 years only. The giveaway will end on the 23rd of June 2019.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This item was sent to us for review. As always, all my reviews are 100% honest and all thoughts and opinions are my own.