This post is sponsored by Disney Book Group. All opinions are our own.
“Help! My kid won’t fall asleep!” Does this thought run through your mind on a daily basis? Throughout the day, I find myself thinking about what bedtime will look in the coming evening. Did my child exert enough energy today, did he eat well, did he sleep in too late or wake up too early? Each day is different, but there is always one constant. My kid just won’t fall asleep!
Do’s and Don’ts
I’m sure you’ve heard it all!
The Do’s:
- Give your child a warm bath before bed.
- Have a predictable bedtime routine.
- Give your child a soothing snack, like a glass of warm milk, to calm them down.
- Engage in quiet activities like reading books.
The Don’ts
- Do not let your child eat sugar close to bedtime.
- Do not let your child watch TV before bed.
- Do not let your child engage in high energy activities before bed.
The Truth
I am no sleep expert, but in my house, it doesn’t seem to matter what we do! When he is ready to fall asleep, he falls asleep! What I do know, is that bedtime used to be a stressful experience in this house, so I needed to turn it all around! The more stressful it became for me, the more stressed he felt, which made him fall asleep even later, you get the cycle! So, in order for him to feel comfortable in his room and with bedtime, I decided to add some fun to the routine!
Make the bed their happy place
The bed, the place where we want them to stay…all. night. long! Little by little, I worked on making his bed more exciting! I started with the pillows. As a huge sports fanatic, I bought him special sports pillow cases with different players on them. He loves talking about the players and how he wants to be like them one day! Each night, he chooses which player he will sleep on! We also have fun changing the accent pillows on his bed, of course sports related as well, to make it fun and exciting!
Read funny stories
Before bed is the best time to read a book, and it’s on the DO list. When everyone is snuggled up in their PJ’s, we love to get under the covers and read. As he gets older, it’s fun to watch him read himself or read parts of the book to his sister! We are always adding new books to our shelf and currently on our must read list is Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy, written by bestselling author Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Scott Campbell.
Not only does this book make the kids howl, but it gets us laughing every time too! This book hits very close to home about because it’s a boy named Roderick, who hates going to bed! Not unlike our kids, he asks for another story, more water, and anything else that will give him a few more minutes of awake time. That’s when his parents introduce him to Sleepy, the goodnight buddy. Meant to help him fall asleep, Sleepy gives Roderick a taste of his own medicine! This is a must-read book (for you and the kids)! Be the first to purchase this book when it hits stores September 11th!
Tents for the win!
Sometimes, he shows signs of not wanting to sleep in his bed because he feels scared or lonely. This is when we call in the big guns! Whether you have a tent at home, or your build a fort, the excitement always gets him to stay in his room! Sometimes, his sister wants to jump in there with him. This is a great idea for weekends, before a PD day, or even just on a regular night! We set it up together, tell stories inside, and then say goodnight. We have found this to be a great way to keep him in bed, but the novelty wears off, so be mindful of how often you put up the tent!
Good night
At the end of the day, we want our kids to feel well-rested and to get a good night’s sleep. As parents, we are more exhausted than the kids when bedtime comes around, but putting stress and anxiety on our kids about bedtime never gets the desired results. So our tip is to make it more fun, less stressful, and a more positive experience for everyone involved!
