I have 4 kids and I would like them all in bed at a reasonable hour so I can have some peace and quiet! Also I am pretty sleep deprived. The youngest, 15 mos still wakes up during the night to be nursed. The older ones become very hyper at bedtime, and the 2 yr old often keeps everyone awake. Then, after 10 p.m. I have to clean up all the destruction. They are 10, 8, 2 1/2 and 15 mos. I would like bedtime to be relaxing but often it is the most stressful part of the day. Any tips? - Jaden
Answer
I cut out naps for my son when he was about 2. We had a steady
routine. Supper promptly at 6PM, any later and it seemed to
energize him. Nothing sweet at all after 6PM. He can have
CAKE for breakfast if he wants but not in the evening. I would
start his bath at 7PM, story and in bed with lights out by
8PM. He usually slept until morning. I figured out that if
he was napping during the day he did not want to go to sleep
until around 10 or 11PM. Dropping the nap changed everything!
We had our "moments" between 4-6PM but I would keep him going
until his bath and then he just went to sleep like a *dream*!
I consider myself a *superglueMOM between 8AM-8PM and after
12 hours I start to come unglued! He is now 10years old, he
goes to bed at 9PM during the week, 10PM on Fri/Sat without
much trouble - kids LIKE the routine aspect of bedtime rituals. - GaCat
Be strict: keep to a rigid schedule. Having 4 kids myself and mine are much much more closer in age I have to say I've stuck to a very strict schedule when it came to bedtimes and naptimes.
You should be able to reason to them and explain the situation to them and ask them for suggestions; if they have input it's always been followed by a ritual of story time then snack time and cuddle time and off to bed. - Surf
I hate to say this but the two year old might need a shorter nap during the day if he/she is keeping everyone else up. Can you get the older two to help pick up some (so you can go to bed at decent time). Or maybe assign them to read bedtime stories to the other ones, I'm always amazed at how long reading takes some nights. I used to play music for my son to "calm" him down while in bed (for some reason he would fall asleep to Titanic in record time). My girlfriend has a mini TV/VCE in her son's room and plays Blue's Clues for him until he sleeps (not what I would personally recommend. - Aubra
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