Tips and Tricks For Getting Your Kids To Bed On Time

During the exciting holiday season it becomes harder to get  kiddos to go to bed on time and to actually stay in bed.  It can become a nightmare for parents and a huge challenge to deal with the overtired cranky child the next day who fought to stay awake beyond their sack time. With a few simple tricks and positive coaching the bedtime battles can be alleviated.

Tips & tricks for getting your kids to bed on time and getting them to stay in bed.

1. Try and stick to a bedtime routine.   Give your child a good 30 to 45 minutes to settle down and get all the night time requests satisfied.  If its having a sip of water, hugs and kisses,  or a trip to the potty make sure its done before he/she is expected to fall asleep.
   
2. I always include a bath or shower in my kids routine to help them settle down.  It helps calm the nighttime nerves and it is a reminder the day has ended and been washed away.
3. Read a bedtime story to your child or allow 10 minutes of magazine time before turning out the lights.
4. Have the room a nice cool temperature of no more than 70 degrees to help get your child snuggled in and cozy.  If the room is too hot it can cause them discomfort and keep them awake.
5. The dark can be frightening to some children,  but the room should be dark enough to discourage extra added stimuli.   All video games, televisions, or radios should be out of reach when the lights are turned off.
6. A reward system can be a great motivator to get your child to go to bed on time.  Have a chart visible with the times he/she fell asleep without giving you trouble and at the week’s end reward with some extra game time or possibly a night time pass for an extra hour on the weekends.
7. Most importantly be consistent.  Children have a built in manipulative nature and can sway the best of us.  Don’t give in to the demands of extra fiddlings or nighttime romps.
   

These are my suggestions and they seem to work for my family.  Do you have a routine to get your kids to bed and to stay asleep till morning?

Twittermoms and Drama U Contest

Do you have your own tips and tricks to getting your child to bed and staying there?  Twittermoms and Drama U would like to hear about your routine and will reward the first 100 bloggers who share their stories a pink Cozy!  Additionally they will give you a pink Cozy to giveaway to one of your lucky blog readers!  Go here to read how to enter. (The St. Eve Kids Cozys are one size fits most girls sizes between 6-9)

3 Tips To Getting Dinner Ready In a Flash- Samsung and Twittermoms Blogging Sweepstakes

Samsung and Twittermoms have teamed up to to bring bloggers an easy way to enter for a chance at winning a Samsung French Door Refrigerator (RFG297AARS)!  The refrigerator is Energy Start compliant, has an amazing 29 cu. ft of space, and features a Twin Cooling Plus system to ensure your food stays fresh.

To enter the contest they are asking for bloggers to share three simple dinner secrets on the topic “With Our Busy Schedules, What Are Your 3 Valid Tips for Getting Dinner Ready in a Flash?”

My husband works an odd permanent night shift (I hate it), so its important for me to have dinner made and ready prior to him leaving at 5:30 pm.  He is gone until 4:00 in the morning and if he does not eat before he goes to work it plays havoc on his energy level.

Here is my three tips to getting dinner ready in a flash and making sure he is eating enough to keep his body functioning properly.

#1 Prepare Meals The Night Before.  I find if I cook a nice meal the night before I am not rushed making it and the food looks more appetizing and tastes better too.  The meal is ready in the refrigerator to be taken out, warmed up the next day,  and served promptly.   Especially time consuming meals like lasagna!

#2 Utilize The Slow Cooker.  A crock pot is a lifesaver to busy moms who are occupied by changing diapers, laundry, keeping up with a toddler who thinks he is trying to out run the energizer bunny, and for moms who work outside the home.  I love my crock pot and think its one of the most useful and needed appliances in my kitchen.  All I do is compile my ingredients in the pot and walk away.  A few hours later the meal is cooked perfectly and ready for consumption!  Its like having a personal magic chef  in your kitchen doing the cooking for you.

#3 Have Frozen Meals In The Freezer Handy.  I am not a big one on heating up overly processed foods, but there are  some commercial frozen meals on the market available  that are nutritious and tasty.  I try and have a few frozen dinners stocked and ready to be placed in the oven for when I don’t feel like cooking or just in case I need dinner prepared quickly.

Well those are my three tips!   I am sure you probably have a few of your own to share?  Don’t forget to stop by Twittermoms and enter for your chance to win the Samsung French Door Refrigerator valued at $2,899.99!