Monday, August 23, 2010
any ideas
I need some ideas. How do you moms get your kids to go to sleep early? With school starting up last week, I've been trying to get the kids to bed at least by 9 and I will tell you what, it's IMPOSSIBLE!!! It seems the harder I try the later they stay up and the more hyper they get. They get up early and then they are still tired and onery by the afternoon. In fact the other day Elle ended up taking a 3 hour nap at 5pm. I tried to get her up and she didn't budge. Their staying up late is taking a toll on all of us and we may all crack if something doesn't change. HELP!!!
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3 comments:
I haven't experienced this first-hand yet, but I have observed lots of friends/family with kids so I'll leave my two cents. The one factor that seems the same in early bedtimes is having a structured routine you follow as consistently as possible.
Make a bedtime chart if that helps, or just work on starting bedtime prep and the same time every night, going through a routine of pjs, teeth, story, prayers, then off to bed. I've seen some families set a timer for 5 minutes and let everyone know that when the timer goes off, it's time to get ready for bed. That way they have warning and know that have to finish up whatever they are doing.
The hard part is breaking the habits that have formed and sticking with it long enough - as with anything we want to change in life. I wish I could say I've mastered that.
Good luck!
I am the mean Mom. I don't give my kids the option of staying up. If it's a school night, they are in bed no later than 8:30. They both like to sleep with their door cracked (we shut it when they are asleep). So if they are not wanting to go to sleep we tell them their door will be shut. That is something we can use as leverage, so try & find something you can use as leverage to get them to bed & keep them there. We also start the bedtime routine @ the same time every night. Once 7:30 rolls around it's time for tub, shower, teeth brushed, getting dressed, bathroom trips, prayers, hugs, loves, etc. You get the idea. Be firm. You can do it!!! :)
I whole-heartedly agree with what was said. I know my girls are still little, but Olivia is my clock-work girl. If she's not in bed by 8:30-9pm she's super onery!!! Kayla however is harder but since she learned to go to bed on her own we do the whole bedtime routine starting around 7:30 or 8pm and get them both bathed, teeth brushed, family prayer said, hugs and kisses and tuck them both in. It's worked wonders for us to be able to have them both down by 9. I know you can do it just stay pretty consistant and they'll get the hang of it, but remember...at least for me I have a hard time being regimented so I always allow a little leeway. That's why I said 7:30 to 8 because I'm rarely right on time for things!!! :) Good luck!!!
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