I used to consider myself one of the “lucky ones”, I never had any real problems with getting my kids to sleep when they were babies. They even started sleeping through the night at 3 months, and only got up occasionally when they were teething or sick. I got a dose of reality when we entered into toddlerhood, then all of that changed.
Once your child grows out of the baby stage, they realize that they have power and they like to test that power. We started dealing with tantrums at bedtime and a lot of excuses to get out bed throughout the night. Like getting more to drink, using the potty for the 5th time, they have a boo boo, or they’re hungry. I also wasn’t consistent with our bedtime routine and our bedtime wasn’t the same every night. Things started to finally change when I got a good bedtime routine down with the kids.
Help your kids get into a Bedtime Routine That Actually Works, when they have an established routine then they know what to expect and it helps break the cycle of nighttime meltdowns!
1.Routine and consistency are key – Studies have shown that a consistent bedtime routine helps cue children for sleep. You also want to keep the routine simple enough to complete each night before bed. After our kids are bathed and dressed for bed we always do the three B’s: Brush their teeth, read our Books, and go to Bed.
2. Give Them a Choice – My oldest was always finding an excuse to get out of bed for a drink, to use the potty, you name it. Before we started our bedtime routine I started giving him a choice where he got to pick out his own pajamas or the book we were going to read that night. Once I started letting him make decisions for bedtime he started to feel involved and empowered. He started to cooperate more and it lead to less late night battles.
We also add in fun characters with their toothbrushes and toothpaste to make brushing their teeth more fun before bed. Orajel™ PAW Patrol™ products are a great way to transition your little one to fluoride toothpaste to help protect against cavities to keep young teeth and gums healthy.
3. Give Them Time To Wind Down – The hour before bedtime sets the tone, so give them time to wind down before bed. This is when you can do independent story time or read together as a family. We’ve made sure to have story time every day since the kids were babies. Reading aloud to your child is the single most important thing you can do to promote their literacy.
The kids have been reading The Three Bees this week, which is all about the three B’s: Brushing, Book, Bed. You can get your own copy of the Scholastic e-book The Three Bees by visiting here. Scholastic also has a ton of ideas and resources, like the 100 Best Read-Aloud Books, and essential articles from the editors of Scholastic Parents.
4. Keep them in bed – In our home we continue walking our child back to bed over and over again while using calm and reassuring phrases. They’re allowed out once to use the bathroom or get a drink but then we put them right back in bed.
If you are having bedtime problems like we did then hang in there! This to shall pass! I hope that some of these tips help you.
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This post was sponsored by Orajel™. The opinions and text are all mine.
