Every family is different. I think we all know that, but for some reason we all compare ourselves to each other. I've been trying to start looking at how they raise their kids and find ways to change them to work for our family. So basically what I'm saying is, this bedtime routine works for us (At least it has for the last week when we stick to it...) and this post is for those who are looking for ideas on how to get their kids to go to bed.
Eat Dinner!:
We're really bad at eating at the same time every night, sometimes I look at the clock and am completely shocked that it's 5!
Clean Up:
Much to my husband's dismay, I grew up cleaning up after dinner every night, meaning dishes are done, floors have been swept and mopped, and the front room/dining room has been vacuumed. Since we've been married, the only times that happened every night was the nine months we lived with my parents... So the last month or so, I've been trying to get the kids involved with the same routine as my mom did with me and my brothers. It's been hard getting back in the habit, but I feel so much better going to bed knowing it's done.
Bath time:
I'm embarrassed to admit, we are really bad at making sure our kids are bathed everyday.... Another thing we've been trying to work on. My kids play in dirt and other gross things, but I'm the one who has a shower everyday? Hmmm doesn't make much sense to me either... BUT We're working on it and my kids LOOOOVE it. Yes my kids love bath time and I have a theory why, but that's another post for another day. While they are bathing, J or I go to the kid's rooms and shut the curtains to make the rooms dark and then close the blinds in the family room to have a dim atmosphere when they're done. (See last post)
Brush Teeth:
We used to brush teeth on the way to bed, but it seemed to ruin the calming activity, so we moved it up.
Get Dressed:
This may seem like a "Duh" statement, but dress them in season appropriate PJ's. My oldest three love footy pajamas, because they can ice skate in the kitchen. But it's summer now and they just don't understand why the footies aren't allowed, but they don't sleep well sweating.
Prayer and Scriptures:
We're still trying to figure out how to make this less chaotic, but we've been promised blessings if we do it. Any suggestions, would be awesome!
First Book:
Our kids love to read, so we chose this as our calming activity.
E Goes to Bed:
She's turning two tomorrow (WHAT?!!!) so she's usually ready to go to sleep by 7:30 or after the first book. We all give her hugs and kisses and she goes night night.
More Books:
While E is settling down in her room upstairs, the boys will read a few more books with us, sometimes we tell fairy tales to change things up. The key is to make sure they are calm books, not interactive... Learned that the hard way :)...
T and M Go to Bed:
Everyone gives loves and tuck them into bed.
Now, like I said in the last post, J used to post himself in the hallway to make sure they kept their heads down and were quiet. We realized one night that this was like egging them on to push our buttons. We found that we would start to get annoyed if they rolled over too many times or kicked off their blankets. So J and I decided with the new routine that we would give them enough space, so we're not watching over them with our eagle eyes, but sitting in our room. Our room is in the same hallway, so we can hear if they're starting to get too wild, but they can also move around to get comfortable.
Another thing that we're working on, and what I struggle with is, just saying, "Put your head down." or "Shhh." or if they're out of bed, "Bed." They start to talk to us and if I answer them it'll stimulate their minds, totally destroying all our work the night before. And what's worse, if I argue with them, it gets them even more hyper. I'm really bad at it, but I'm gong to keep trying.
We have to keep reminding ourselves that this is a process. Their bodies are so used to staying awake for a couple hours after we tuck them in. Every night, when we stick to the routine, the hours have been getting shorter and shorter. Last night they went to sleep in about 45 minutes!
Good luck to those who have struggles like us!
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