Bedtime WIthout Battles
by Teresa Redmond
Do your kids fight going to
bed? Are you looking for ideas on how to get your kids in bed
and keep them in bed. Below is a list of our best bedtime
tips.
1. Consistency - Do
your children have a set bedtime? Do they go to bed at the same
time on the weekends as the weekdays? Do they get up at the
same time each morning? Consistency is the kety to getting your
children to bed on time without a fight.
Set a time for bed and stick with
it, even on the weekends. Try and pick a reasonable time
to get up in the morning as well.
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Baby Bedtime
Fussiness
Chase Winters
If you are able to get your
baby right to bed at night and
have them sleep for a few hours
at a time, it can feel like a
wonderful victory. But, if your
baby fusses about going to bed
and then reawakens every few
hours, it can be very
frustrating (unless it’s a new
baby and then it’s to be
expected). If your baby isn’t
cooperating with bedtime on a
nightly basis, you might want
to think about what you’re
doing during the day with your
baby that could be affecting
how they are sleeping at
night.
Babies need routine and if you
don’t follow one at all, it
could be messing up their
internal clock. We have to be
the ones to help our children
understand when it’s time to
play and when it’s time to
sleep. When they are very
young, we do this by setting up
a routine that we stick to
whenever possible. A bath first
thing in the morning followed
by a feeding and playtime is a
great example of a morning
routine, while a bedtime story,
a feeding and a lullaby is a
perfect nighttime routine.
After you have followed the
same pattern for awhile, your
baby will begin to remember
what comes next.
If you haven’t started a
routine, begin one now. Be sure
to set one for the morning,
afternoon and nighttime and you
might notice a difference in
your baby. The fussiness about
going to sleep might disappear
once they are able to recognize
on their own that it is time to
sleep. It’s when bedtime comes
to them as a surprise that they
get fussy.
Another thing you might want to
take a look at is how many naps
your baby is taking during the
day. Are you playing with your
baby enough, stimulating them
and helping them to discover
new things every day? If not,
they might be cranky about
going to bed each night simply
because they are not tired
enough. If this is the case,
you need to change your habits
immediately to help your baby
sleep better tonight.
Depending on the age of your
baby, naps shouldn’t be very
long. Newborn babies can take
naps that are a few hours long
at one time, while babies that
are a few months old should
only be napping for a half an
hour. If you are letting your
baby sleep as long as he or she
wants during the day, you’re
setting yourself up for
problems that night. If you
think about it, you’ll realize
that even adults can’t sleep
well at night if they’ve taken
a long nap during the day. So
apply the same rule to your
little one and it will make a
world of difference.
A change of location during the
day is a great thing for babies
too. Take your little one
outside for a walk in the
stroller, over to a friend’s
house or to the store. This
will help to break up their day
and allow them to see new
things. Babies need constant
stimulation and if you give it
to them, it will tire them out
and help them sleep at night.
But best of all, the fussiness
they once had about going to
bed will become a thing of the
past!
About The Author
Chase Winters provides tips and
techniques for those wishing to
help their baby sleep through
the night. For more tips please
visit http://www.baby-sleeping-tips.com.
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2. Bedtime routine - Establish a bedtime routine.
Children are less resistant to going to bed when they are
prepared fo rit. For example, every night have them take a bath
and brush their teeth. Have them get in their pajamas and read
a bedtime story. With an established routine, they will know it
is bedtime once story time is over.
3. Are they sleeping too much during the day? - Take a look at
nap time. How long are they sleeping? What time are they
getting up in the morning? Have you set a reasonable bedtime?
Watch your child for sleepiness cues and use this to establish
your bedtime.
4. Nip the "I'm thirsties" in the bud. One of children's
favorite excuses to get out of bed is saying "I'm thirsty" or
"I have to go to the bathroom". Include a trip to the bathroom
and a small glass of water in your bedtime routine.
5. Noise - Is the TV set blaring when your children go to bed?
Now is the time to dim all the lights and turn the TV way down
or off. Kids, like adults, have difficulty sleeping with noise
in the background.
6. If your children insist on getting out of bed, return them
right back to bed. If you allow them to get up, even for a few
minutes, it reinforces this behavior. If they see they can get
out of bed they will continue with the stall tactics. Putting
them back in bed promptly will help eliminate this
behavior.
7. "Mom, I'm not tired...." - Who hasn't heard this one? You
can get your kids to stay in bed, but you won't always be able
to get them to sleep. Let your child know that they need to
rest even if they don't feel sleepy. Instruct them to rest
quietly in their bed until they are sleepy.
About the Author
Teresa Redmond is a wife and mother to 5 children. She is
also co-owner of Justmommies.com, a parenting website. She has
written numerous parenting and health articles. You can visit
our site at http://www.justmommies.com
This article is free for reprint but please provide a clickable
link back to Justmommies
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