We have been round and round the block when it comes to bedtimes. We have been remarkably lucky with Maxi, he has always been a dream when it comes to bedtime and goes to bed and to sleep with little or no fuss. However, to make up for this Mini has been a challenge, well from turning two years old!
I am please to say that at seven he is now really good at going to bed and much better at getting to sleep, so I thought I would share some of the things we have done to make this as easy as possible.
A bedtime routine is key for us.
- No computer or electronic screens after 6pm. This is non-negotiable. We do allow some TV, but mostly it is quiet time for reading, board games, jigsaws and chatting.
- No electronics in bedrooms. No TV’s, no games, no tablets.
- A regular bedtime.
- We end the night with three positive things from the day. Things that have made us happy or smile.
- A good nightlight. Philips sent the boys a softpal nightlight each. Mini has a Mike one and it gives off a soft glow that doesn’t interfere with his sleep. I found it important not to dismiss his fear of the dark and a night light makes all the difference to him being comfortable in his room.
- Both boys have a Lumie Bodyclock Go and this is great for helping Mini getting off to sleep as it dims over a 30 minute time, so he can often be found asleep with a book in hand!
- Not too much to drink after 6pm.
- Audio books. Both the boys have a great love of audio books and often go to sleep listening to them. Mini is currently listening to David Walliams and Maxi is using the Leapfrog Leap Reader to read audio books.
- Relaxation CD’s. When Mini is finding it really hard to go to sleep or wind down we turn to our Relax Kids CD’s which really do help.
Both the boys have had periods when they have been anxious or upset and this often shows itself at bedtime. We have used many different ways to handle this including:
- Making a dreamcatcher.
- Talking about what is concerning them and making sure that we do not dismiss their concerns.
- Worry dolls – you tell them your worried and leave them under your pillow and they take them away.
- Relaxation CD’s.
- Worry Spray – A mix of lavender and water in a spray bottle to spray away the scaries! (lavender is very relaxing, which can help in itself)
- A special stone for rubbing if you are worried.
Some great tips. Our bedtime routine is OK it is getting them to stay there that is the problem (well for our youngest anyway!). Any tips on that?!
Great tips. We are often guilty of bounding into bed completely unrelated and I’m as guilty for myself as for Little Z. Love the Sully night light.
Some great tips – I think I need to do them myself – never mind the kids lol x
I like the special stone idea… never heard of it before, but I would like to give it a try
Great tips x
I’ve been really lucky with 6yo and her bedtime routine. Mind you I can sometimes find her out of bed at 9pm playing with something she shouldn’t
It’s a great idea to end the day with three positive things that happened. Will have to try that here – Austin’s always been a bad sleeper.
Some brilliant tips there Jen, I’m still trying to crack the baby sleeping through the night version of a good bedtime routine but slowly we’re getting there!
This is really lovely, sound thoughtful and practical tips here!
Katie x
I absolutely love the idea of ending the day with 3 positive things – I may just have to borrow that one, thank you.
These are great tips! I gave my kids worry dolls when they were younger and they really helped. I use ‘worry spray’ (I love the concept – like fairy spray for boo boo’s) on my pillow and it really helps. I would however be severely reprimanded if I lived with you as I’m often up tweeting till the small hours 😉
I love that nightlight!! So cute. Some really great tips – I really need to sort out our nighttime routine!
we have been lucky with our bedtime.
love to make dream catcher for them!
We swear by some time spent chatting just after lights out (seems to be when ALL the current issues come out!) and lavender oil 🙂
Brilliant tips and I love the idea of the three positive things. My son is a nightmare at bedtime, totally full of beans and can take ages to get to sleep. I use lullabies on YouTube to help him, seems to be working.
Some great tips there Jen, I may investigate some of these further. POD is often still awake at 9pm although she did *shocked face* fall asleep at 7.30am last week. This week has been especially challenging as we’ve been decorating her room, we’re hoping once she’s back in hers she’ll settle again!
Love that night light!
We have a similar routine of trying to quieten things down a bit after 6pm. Mine have 3 main things they love at bedtime, milk or hot choc, story and hug – then they are happy! And bath too helps settle them down
Some really great tips here.
I am a big believer in routine – especially bedtime and i can see the routine changing over the years as my toddler becomes more aware of her surroundings!
Some great tips there – thank you for sharing. May just make some lavender spray for myself!
Lovely tips, I really like the idea of building a dream catcher with them. We did that with Miss L when she was little and it’s still by her window.
Some really good suggestions. Thanks for sharing.
Great tips! I couldn’t cope without my Lumie 🙂 Must make dreamcatchers with my boys too…
Thanks for sharing at #Pintorials
I have the same rules about no electronics near bedtime or in the bedroom and we always make sure there’s at least half an hour to read together.
I totally agree with all of this. Routine seems to be the number 1 most important thing for us. And we always have a bedtime chat after stories to make sure they’ve had a chance to talk through anything that’s worrying them.
God, I wish I had found this post 11 years ago. My youngest was shocking at going to sleep……………However…………….He’s now a Teenager and had gone completely the other way………………….We have to wake him up now days xxx
I think I need the spray for me! Might have to rescue one from the kitchen.
Great ideas!
We always share our best bits from the day at tea time which is my favourite family time of the day x x
My daughter has had a very on/off relationship with sleep. She is a bit older but a worry book has always been quite helpful for her, where she writes the things she is anxious about. That and a story CD, to take her mind off things 🙂
Love Lavender to help you sleep, it really does work! Sounds like you have a great bedtime routine. One I would add is a sleep mask. Bex my daughter bought one for Oscar for Christmas a couple of years ago for a joke really! His sleep has been so much better since using it. He using it every night and now is on his second one! As Bex’s sleep has not been good recently I have bought her one which seems to be working too!
We have a rule of no electronics on after 7pm on a school night & its time for playing or reading between 7-8.
Luckily my two both sleep very well but I’d hate for either of them to inherit my sleeplessness, some really great ideas there that I will use if either of them show signs of a change.
Excellent practical tips as always, Jen – I love these night lights, and they would be top of my list; if it wasn’t for the fact that my little boy is the total opposite to most kids and must have TOTAL darkness otherwise he can’t sleep…he even asked the babysitter we had the other day to remove a glow stick from his bedroom *just weird*
I think I need to take on some of these tips – my bedtime routine is non-existent, I really need to try and get myself better with sleeping. x
Some great tips my daughters only 16 months but she has a terrible sleep pattern and we use the bath then bed routine and some nights works great and others not so.