Rules For Sleepovers

With the holidays coming up, your child will probably ask you if they can spend the night over at their friends’ house. Although this would be such a good time for you and your husband to have some alone time, there are still some hesitations in letting your kid go alone. The question really is if you are ready to let them go by themselves on a sleepover without you accompanying them, or if they are socially ready and well behaved enough to be at someone else's home.

There are some guidelines you can always go with in terms of letting your kid go to the sleepover. The first rule would usually be to meet the parents. This would give you peace of mind if you already know the parents of your child’s friend. At least you already have an idea of who is going to be watching your child.

Sometimes, children talk to themselves and try to convince each other that it’s ok for the other to have a sleepover without the parents knowing, so your best bet is to call the parents and see if there is a slumber party going on. You would also ask your kid to call them once they are in their friend’s house. This is a form of checking in to make sure they are all right.

On the following day, give your child a curfew. Usually they should be home at 8am or 10am, depending on which times you give them. Be firm on this, otherwise if they don’t follow you can ground them.

Your child would also try not to bring anything on the sleepover and try to keep it light. No matter what they say, pack their toothbrush, shampoo, soap, all the hygiene things that they would need. Having your kid go to a slumber party is something else however, hosting one is also different. You need to make sure that they have loads of fun and that they have a good night sleep. My favorite bedding to prepare when the kids are over is the nautical beddings for boys and shabby chic bedding for girls.