Bedtime Routines

 As my kids get older their routines change. I have no complaints about that- I think it’s quite normal; it’s just hard for me to get used to and change my routine along with theirs.

Take for example bedtime. When DS2 was about a year old, I would just put him down in his crib, give him a pacifier and say good night. I’d then close the door and wouldn’t hear from him until 12 hours later. That was the best “routine” we’ve had, but as I predicted, it didn’t last long enough.

Now that DS2 is almost two years old, he wants to do everything his big brother does, which includes not sleeping in a crib. Since he doesn’t go to sleep in his crib (we usually transfer him once he’s sleeping to avoid mid-night excursions), he became part of our longer bedtime routine of reading books, telling stories, singing songs, and resting together. In all, the entire routine can take an hour until everyone (sometimes including me) falls asleep. It’s a long process and seems even longer when I’m hungry…

For the most part our routine works, but can get really frustrating when one child is just not tired enough to go to sleep. When one gets up to walk around, the other has to do the same. Then we have to start everything all over again.

I don’t blame my kids for not wanting to go to sleep. They don’t spend all that much time during the day at home and spend even less time with me. When I was younger I didn’t want to go to bed, so why would they? But, as a mom, I want my kids to get enough sleep and since we have to leave the house early in the morning, they have to go to sleep on the earlier side at night. Being that our whole family is made up of mostly “night people,” it’s just too bad we can’t all go to sleep late and wake up late every day!

How do you handle bedtime? Do you find it’s an easy time of day or one of your hardest?

Until next time,
Shaindy