Bedtime Routine Tips for a Peaceful Evening

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Today we have a guest post from Yvette, who blogs at Uplifting and Inspiring Content. She is also a Mum like you and this post is all about her thoughts and tips on bedtime routines.

I remember the good old days when our going to bed at times depended on our behaviour during the day. Parents will send their children to bed early if they misbehaved. We did all we could not to fall victim, but there was always a reason for them to send us to bed early. It was a weird bedtime routine, isn’t it? The long and short of this was that they wanted us to sleep well in order to be strong enough for the next day.

Parents rarely find it easy sending their kids to bed. I have a nightly challenge sending my two kids to bed. When kids don’t get enough sleep, they tend to pay less attention to learning. They find it difficult to control their emotions. As a grown-up, I also face this same problem. When you have a bad night, the slightest happenings become so irritating.

When children get a sound sleep, they become energised and function at their best. If you maintain a good bedtime routine for your kids, it will not only help  them rest well but they will also get up refreshed. When I talk of a good bedtime routine, I am referring to the situation where your child falls asleep without you there to comfort them.

Here are 4 tips to help develop and maintain and maintain a good bedtime routine. 

1. Have a bedtime routine for the entire family

One thing that has worked for me to maintain a good bedtime routine is by going to bed as a family. As a family, we set a time where the entire family goes to bed. Sleep is a priority in my family. It is easy for children to pick-up their parent’s habits and sleeping could be one of such. Children will always loiter around when their parents are still up. Sending them to bed and staying awake is like putting them in a mini jail.

One other reason children may not want to go to bed when adults or others are still up is that they feel left out. They go to bed thinking about the excitement, the fun, the chatting, the videos and so on. They feel left out and may refuse to go to bed. This is one of the reasons we came up with a bedtime routine for the entire family.

Having a bedtime routine doesn’t mean they will fall asleep at the set time. This is just one way of solving the sleep problems children usually have. Making them go to bed is one thing and for them to stay asleep is another. To achieve the latter, I make sure they stop watching TV at least 1 hour before they go to bed. It is very difficult for children to fall asleep when they are watching their favourite cartoons.

My husband and I take turns within the week to engage them with an activity at least 30 minutes or one hour before bedtime. We usually engage them in reading or playing educative games (usually word games) at least 30 minutes before our routine bedtime.

2. Anxious children find it difficult to go to bed

Just like grownups who may not have a good night’s sleep when they are anxious, children’s sleep could also be affected by anxiety. I had a major problem with my son who will insist to sleep in our bedroom when he was about two and a half years old. I later on realised that it was caused by separation anxiety. He just started pre-school and this development made him not to have enough time with us.

Your kid may be worried about something that makes him refuse to go to bed on time. It could be a test, homework, a bully or even a recent change in their lives. Children take time to catchup with new developments. It could be a new school, having very little time with a parent who was always available or even making new friends. Movies or stories with horror scenes can also cause anxiety in children which can interfere with their sleep. 

3. The numerous drink of water and last wee-trip

Children always use the second or third drink of water in order to delay going to bed. There is always that last trip to the toilet to wee whenever you tell them good night. The number of times doesn’t matter because the moment you say ‘goodnight’, someone’s bladder immediately needs emptying. If you are a parent and you’ve not experienced this, then you are just so lucky.

Some people will say you should not give in to such demands, else your kids will take advantage and it will end up a routine. However every child and family is unique. So one size doesn’t fit all. Do what is right for you and your family. 

Since my kids took it as a routine to go to the toilet or have the last drink, I decided to include it in our bedtime routine. I always make sure they get the last drink and take a trip to the toilet before they go to bed. I don’t wait for them to ask, I inform them beforehand.

4. Don’t compare them with other kids

One thing you should not do with your kids is to compare them with other children whom you think go to bed without issues in their night routines.  It is rare to find such, so don’t even use that as a method to send your kids to bed. Comparing children with others may lead you into frustration. Rather, you should team up with them to find the best bedtime schedule that works for the entire family.

Conclusively your kid’s bedtime routine will not happen overnight. Give it some time to avoid stress. Take a day at a time. Review each day and make adjustments as you go and before you know it you and your family will settle into a beautiful and comfortable bedtime routine.

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