Like most moms, some days I eagerly await the hour when it’s time to put the kids to bed so I can sit down (or get started on all the other things I need to do), but it can be an epic battle just to get them to go to sleep! And any parent knows that a well-rested child is in a far better mood than one who has skipped naps and finally fallen to sleep at midnight.
One of my biggest battles these days is when the kids are overly excited and too wound up to go to bed. They get a second wind after dinner and there’s no stopping them. Demanding they go to bed when they are wound like tops doesn’t work so here are a few tricks to help mellow them so they’re ready for slumber.
Bedtime Tricks
Warm Bath
I used to give all 4 of my kids a rushed bath immediately after dinner just to get it over with and this doesn’t relax anyone. Now we do a bubble bath about an hour before bedtime and I put a few drops of lavender oil into the water to help calm them.
Story Time
Pick a few favorite books to read to your children or read chapters of a classic like “A Wrinkle in Time” or “Little Women.” A great story, read in a calming voice can go a long way to settling them down.
Get Outside
It’s important for kids to get outside for fresh air and exercise everyday. We love to run in the yard and ride our bikes. Fresh air always calms them down and wears them out in just the right way. And the same goes for Adults, or infants for that matter – when my eldest was a newborn I took her outside for walks and noticed a big difference in her sleep patterns on the days we were stuck inside because of the rain.
Routine
As you’ll find in Sprout’s Pajama Time Tips, a consistent night time routine can really help set the tone for an easy bedtime. As you try out some of these tips, think about whether or not you may be trying to put them to bed too early or too late and adjust if needed. If you have to have a relative or a babysitter put them to bed one night make sure they know the routine as well.
What are your favorite tips for handling the daily bedtime battle? Comment below and 4 of you will win the prize pack from Sprout!
The Pajanimals, available only on 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout, features four fuzzy friends who wind down for bedtime in a cozy and reassuring way. The show helps you tackle common bedtime issues like getting out of bed, bad dreams and scary monsters. Check out Sprout’s bedtime tips! Also, by replying below four of my lucky readers will win a prize package – including a Pajanimals DVD and The Sleepeasy Solution book, proven by Hollywood’s celebrity parents and written by the sleep experts at Sleepy Planet.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sprout. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.