Bedtime Strategy for Kids

For many parents, bedtime is the most dreaded part of the day. With a firm hand and consistency in following this guide, bedtime will be the easiest part of the day in just a short time. All you will have to do is tuck in your little one, give a kiss on the forehead and say, "Goodnight."

Are you getting enough sleep everyday or are you staying up late at nights because your child just won’t go to bed when you want her to? You need proper rest to be a good parent. She needs proper rest to be a good child. Many children misbehave or cannot focus because they are tired. Besides this, children do most of their physical growing while they sleep. A toddler needs 12-15 hours of sleep a day, a baby even more. This means that your child NEEDS an early hour bedtime whether she wants it to or not and whether or not she feels tired. A good time would be 8pm. It is even hard for me, sometimes, to adhere to the 8pm bedtime. My little Theo will only be this cute and fun for a little bit and I want to savor every moment. I work all day so my time with him is limited. However, from observing what my friends go through, I know what happens when parents do not start the bedtime regimen early and stick to it: children are playing at all hours into the night, parents are yelling at the kids and the house is always a mess. Besides this, parents do not have time for themselves to catch up on the day, relax with a book, cuddle while watching a movie.

Ever since my little boy Theo was a 4-month-old my friends have been amazed at how easy it is to put him down at bedtime. No muss, no fuss. I begin Theo’s nightly routine at 7:20. He takes a bath. He drinks his bottle while I read him a story. Then hugs and kisses are given all around for Mommy, Daddy and Theo. Theo usually takes a few minutes to say goodnight to his stuffed animal buddies before laying down to rest for the day.

This happens in our home every night! It can happen in your home too in just a few days! Believe it. A good age to start having a set bedtime is when your baby is about 4 months old. This guide works with older children as well. The KEY is to be firm and consistent! Decide on a bedtime regimen. Wind down the baby quietly. While you give your baby the nighttime feeding, dim the lights, turn on some quiet music. When she is done feeding, place her in the crib, say, “Goodnight, Sweetie,” and walk out of the room. If she cries, wait a minute to see if she stops then check on her. If she is safe and nothing seems to be the matter, say, “Goodnight, Sweetie,” again and walk out of the room. Do not go back in if she cries again. You will be very tempted to go back in to comfort her. Do not do it! I repeat. Do not do it! She needs to know that you mean business when you say, “Goodnight,” aka “No getting out of bed to play.” In a short time, you will know when your little one is crying for something she needs or if she is crying to get out of the crib. Be firm and consistent with your regimen. Even a sweet 4-month-old knows how to manipulate your emotions. You can later pick a day of the week to hide the clock for family time.