Guest Post: 3 Ideas for Making Bedtime go Smoothly

By Julie

If you want to see a kid suddenly find 20 things to do, just say those magic words: “Bed time.” Suddenly, there’s homework to be done, or a level on a video game that just HAS to be completed immediately. Even though for moms and dads bed time is a sweet reward at the end of a long day, for kids it’s a dreaded sentence. If we’re lucky we can get kids to bed with relatively little hassle and we hope upon hope that they stay there. But most of the time, we’re not so lucky, and wrangling the kids to sleep is like herding cats. But fortunately there are a few things that can make bed time much less stressful for everyone.

Create a Quiet Routine

One of the most important things that can make bed time run more smoothly is an established routine. Sure, life is crazy and it’s hard to know what each day will bring. But a consistent night time routine will help kids wind down and get ready for bed. Watching television, eating, drinking or high energy activities close to bed time are likely to be counter productive. It may seem reasonable that expending energy will make children sleepy, but unfortunately it’s far more likely to get them amped up and hyper rather than tired. Eating and drinking as well can increase a kid’s energy, and will also probably lead to waking up in the middle of the night to visit the bathroom.

Of course the schedule should include necessities like bathing and teeth brushing. But it may also include quiet activities like reading or a lullaby. Baths and showers especially can be calming and help kids get into sleep mode. The more you can structure these activities the more a child will get used to the process and may even find themselves getting tired as a result of beginning the nightly ritual.

Be Proactive About Common Issues

Sometimes getting kids to sleep is a challenge simply because of individual preferences and needs. So it’s often prudent to pay attention to such issues and try to use preventative measures whenever possible.

• While drinking before bed can lead to bathroom breaks in sleeping later, providing a glass of water on the bed side table could help prevent nocturnal trips to the sink because of dry mouth.

• Sometimes light sleepers may be more susceptible to sleep delays because of noises coming from other parts of the house. But a soft radio or sound machine giving off relaxing ambient noise can help drown out other noises from activity or the television.

• A favorite blanket or stuffed animal may be a sleep time necessity. If that’s the case, make sure the special item is located and in place well before bed time.

• Fear of the dark is a common fear among children. The use of a night light can go a long way toward alleviating this problem. It may even help to have children help pick out a night light in a fun shape or color that they really enjoy.

• Reassure children that they will not be left “alone” after they fall asleep. Promise to check in later and make sure all is well before heading to bed yourself.

Make Bedtime a Special Bonding Time

The best way to help children rest easy at night is to make bed time a bonding experience with their parents. As I mentioned before, reading is an excellent bed time activity and when children and parents do it together it’s an even better experience. Whether the parent is reading to the child or the child is reading to the parent it’s a great way to enjoy some quality time and prepare for sleep. If possible, try to find a book that will take multiple nights to complete so that children are actually enthusiastic about going to bed to find out what happens next.

Whether it’s a book, a back rub, singing songs or simply chatting about the day’s activities and making future plans, the more enjoyable this pre-sleep time is for the child the less reluctant they will be when it comes around. And parents may just discover that this turns into the best part of their day as well.

Bed time is a dirty word to most children, but if you take the right steps it doesn’t have to be. With a firm bed time routine in place, children will adapt well to process each night. By removing common road blocks to falling asleep, you can eliminate the chances of night time needs or complaints. And when bed time is bonding time for parent and child it becomes special for everyone and will even lead to fond memories for children when they become adults themselves.

About the Author
Julie is a writer for Mr.Beams, a company offering battery night lights and other wireless lights. For the last few years, Julie has been blogging frequently and working as a freelance writer. Though bed time at her house doesn’t always run smoothly, there’s nothing she looks forward to more than a reading to her daughter Natalie.

Photo credits: tantrum—Liza; water—Sean