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)

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