Does your child need a bedtime routine? - Yes!
Do you struggle to get your child to bed at night? We sure did
with our daughter. She would refuse to go to sleep in her bed
and wanted to hang out with us until we were ready for bed and
of course then she would want to sleep in Mama’s and Daddy’s
bed.
That all changed when we finally sat down and established a
bedtime routine. It helped our daughter establish healthy
sleeping habits and got us back into ours. On top of it, we now
have a little time to ourselves at night.
Maybe you have heard on TV or read in a parenting magazine that
your child needs a bedtime routine. Or you are just plain tired
of having to run to her room 20 times before she finally dozes
off. For whatever reason you decided it’s time to start setting
up a bedtime routine. Where do you go from here? Obviously you
are not going to change your child’s habits from one day to the
next. Consistency is going to be key, which is why we started by
drawing up a basic little plan.
Take out a pen and a piece of paper and jot down the following:
How much sleep does your child need What time does he/ she need
to get up in the morning What are his/her favorite calm
activities (reading a book, taking a bath, cuddling with you,
talking about your day, going for a stroll through the yard,
putting on pj’s) From this list, come up with an action plan.
Figure out when you need to put your child to bed to make sure
she gets enough sleep. This will be your final goal. What time
does she go to bed now? Plan on moving her bedtime back about 30
minutes every few days to give her some time to adjust in
between.
Pick a few of her favorite calm activities and spend about 30 to
40 minutes on those while also getting her in her pj’s, teeth
brushed and off to bed.
Expect some initial resistance to the new routine. Kids can be
pretty creative when it comes to excuses why they can’t possibly
go to sleep just yet. My little sister once insisted that her
doll just had to blow her nose. Try to anticipate those excuses
and last minute requests and make them part of the bedtime
routine. If you know your child is going to ask for a sip of
water, keep a glass on her night table. Make other requests part
of your bedtime routine. If she usually asks to say goodnight to
the family pet, have her do that before you put her in her PJ’s
and tuck her in.
Another good tip is to give her choices in the routine. It is
usually best to limit those choices to 2 or 3. Ask her if she
would like to take a bath or a shower, if she wants Mom or Dad
to tuck her in, if she wants you to read “Goodnight Moon” or
“The hungry little caterpillar”. Let her pick the red or yellow
pj’s. Only give her options that you can live with. That way you
both win. She feels like she is having some control over her
life and you get her to do what needs done.
Above all stay calm and patient. Getting to sleep is a hard task
to master for a child. She needs your help to establish healthy
sleeping patters. If she keeps getting up for the next few
nights, put her gently but firmly back to bed and tell her that
it is time to sleep. Offer to come back and check on her in a
few minutes and follow through. It will make her feel more
secure and chances are she’ll be sound asleep by the time you
walk back in there.
Additional Resources:
Baby Sleep Secrets http://kinderinfo.fmpllc.hop.clickbank.net
Learn how to get your baby to sleep through the night with just
a few tweak and finally get that good night sleep you both need
and deserve.
Supernanny Secrets http://kinderinfo.davelloyd.hop.clickbank.net
Super Parenting Strategies, based on the Supernanny.
