Bedtime

Bedtime is probably the worst time for many parents, and getting your child to go to bed and stay in bed is not an easy thing to do. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how many soft toys they have in their cot or bed, you just can’t make it inviting enough for them to want to stay there.

This is potentially a bigger problem than you may first realise and if you don’t sort out any bedtime problems they will escalate and cause both you and your child to lose a lot of valuable sleep. The main problem parents seem to have at bedtime is not being able to leave their child to cry a little. What you need to understand is that a child will cry all the time if they know that their parent will come running to them; you will not help yourself by doing this. They are usually only crying purely because they don’t have your full attention.

However, they don’t do this to deliberately manipulate you for any other reason than it’s what they’ve come to learn as normal behaviour; you need to teach them a new way to behave; and simply giving them a dummy or a heap of soft toys is only going to momentarily solve the problem. Routine is important when it comes to bedtime, and if you conquer bedtime you’ll be better equipped to deal with any similar problems during the day. Here are a few steps to help you establish a good bedtime routine:

• Have a bedtime and stick to it. This is very important because your child will get used to this time and their body will grow accustomed to sleeping at the right time and hopefully for the right length of time.
• Get dressed for bed. This is also an ideal place to ensure that your child is learning about dressing and undressing themselves. They will love spending this time with you and you could even let them pick out their own PJs.
• Drink. Involve your child in the making of the drink; even if they’re only a baby they can still watch you and pretend (it’s the routine we’re establishing here). Drink milk or water; warm or cold is up to you, but warm is often nicer on the tummy before bed). Do not give your child sugary drinks or anything with caffeine.
• Story. Again, no matter what age your child is they can always appreciate sitting on your lap with their drink to enjoy a story, or simply to look at the pictures.
• Brush teeth. Brushing your child’s teeth can be a very fun activity and it’s also something that needs to be done by you (certainly during the first few years) to ensure that teeth are properly clean.
• Say goodnight to everyone. It is then important to establish the fact that your child is going to bed, so it’s important to go and say goodnight to everyone who is in the house.
• Soft Toys. Most children have favourite soft toys they like to take to bed, and this is an excellent way of showing your child that they’re not the only ones going to sleep. When you say goodnight to them before leaving the room, make sure you say goodnight to their favourite soft toys too.

Once these things are done, it’s bedtime. This isn’t a long list by any means and doesn’t take long to do. This is an enjoyable time for your child and right up to you tucking them into bed with their soft toys will be something they will relish more than you can possibly know; we’re often too busy to do this and that with our children, but it’s amazing how far a little time can go.