What Every Parent Should Know About Bedtime Routines

In our earlier post, we discussed the importance of sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene is basically a set of practices that promote good sleep. Most children look for ways to stay up past their bedtime and almost all parents have experienced the struggle involved in getting children to sleep. 

In this article, we will cover:

• Hacks To Get Children To Adhere To Bedtime Routine
• Parenting Tips To Avoid Future Bedtime Troubles

Hacks To Get Children To Adhere To Bedtime Routine

A book published in 2007, Positive Discipline A-Z: 1001 Solutions to Everyday Parenting Problems, suggests a few things that parents can use to get children to adhere to their bedtime routine: 

• Be available while children are completing their bedtime routines. Children often engage in attention seeking behaviours if they do not receive adequate attention throughout the day so pay undivided attention to them when they are completing their bedtime routine.
• Stick to the bedtime routine. Children need to know that there is no room for argument here and that you mean business. 
• If you have submitted to your child’s demands earlier and extended the bedtime, admit your mistake and let them know that this mistake now needs to be corrected. 

Download the bedtime routine printable here. 

Parenting Tips To Avoid Future Bedtime Troubles

The book, Positive Discipline A-Z…, mentions ways in which parents can avoid future bedtime troubles by planning ahead. Here are some of the tips:

• Create a bedtime routine chart together. Each child should have a separate bedtime routine chart. Make a list of everything they need to do before bedtime such as brushing their teeth, having a bath, changing into night clothes, reading a storybook, cuddling with parents, etc. Ensure that this is accompanied by time and duration of the event. For younger children, add pictures.
• Instead of telling them what to do, ask them what is on their bedtime routine chart. This will make them feel in control of the situation and reduce the likelihood of difficult behaviour. 
• To make it fun, parents can set up an alarm for the duration of the bedtime routine and ask the child if they can finish all the tasks before the alarm goes off. The reward for finishing all the tasks can be something simple such as one more story from the parents. 
• The child may find it difficult to understand that their older siblings or parents are staying up later. Validate their feelings by telling them that it is okay to feel sad or angry, but it is not okay to push the bedtime.   

Bedtime routine informs the child of what is going to happen and what is expected of them. It makes the process smoother and allows the child to take charge of their bedtime routine. You can download the sample bedtime routine here. However, parents should make the necessary changes to this routine based on their unique requirements. 

Download the bedtime routine printable here. 

How do you avoid bedtime struggles with your child? Do you have any tips or suggestions for your fellow parents? Do let us know in the comments below.