By: Carolann

Carolann — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:28:36 +0000

My father used to play a game with us. We called it school, I don’t know why. He would take the coins in his pants pocket in put them behind his back. We would sit on the bottom step. He would put his hands behind his back, then put them in front of him. When it was my turn, i got to guess which hand. He would open that hand, if it had two coins, i advanced two steps. Then he would repeat the actions with my brothers. We would play the game until we got to the top of the staircase. First one there got the largest coin, usually a quarter. Then we ran to brush our teeth and wait for him to tuck us in, while he finished up with the other two siblings… We loved that game. We didn’t know it was to get us to bed without a hassle.

By: Laurel Cibik

Laurel Cibik — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:44:11 +0000

This is classic, standard advice. It is the same as found in many helpful books, one of which I carried around like it was my bible for a period of time when my kids were both under age 3. One very important omission in this article: never let your kids develop the habit of falling asleep with a screen on – no parental copping-out by letting them drift off watching a DVD. I would like to say that, despite these good ideas, my 10 year old is still difficult at bedtime. Nevertheless, I still rely on some of these tactics – at this age mainly the maintenance of bedtime routines and “taking away” screen time the next day if there is not cooperation at bedtime. These tactics can make a difference, and it helps so much to know what to do if a child is acting out at bedtime. Without a plan, a parent can end up feeling very frustrated and helpless right at the hour when they themselves are the most tired. Over time, this can even lead to a parent verbally or physically abusing a child who “won’t go to sleep.” Kids today in general are sleep-deprived, and some situations where a child seems to have a learning or behavioral problem are actually caused by chronic exhaustion – the child ends up scattered, “over-wired,” and emotionally off-balance. So, it’s extremely important to help kids get good sleep.

Comments on: No More Bedtime Battles!

By: Carolann

By: Laurel Cibik