Create a more CALM bedtime routine with your toddler
Whether you have one kid or five kids, if you don’t have routines and expectations at bedtime: your bedtime routine is going to be chaotic, stressful, and a big ol HOT MESS!
I am going to teach you all the things you need to do to calm down your bedtime routine, decrease the chaos, and create an actual calming, soothing bedtime.
Step 1: Bedtime Routine Cards!
Introducing my bedtime routine cards!
Download here: https://slumberandbloom.com/product/bedtime-routine-cards/
These routine cards are everything you need to calm the chaos in your bedtime. To learn more about how to use my bedtime routine cards, watch this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH-fBVknzBo
Step 2: Make Bedtime Soothing
This may seem like an obvious thing to do, but you’d be shocked at how many parents get this wrong! The common mistake is doing your bedtime routine in the living room with the lights, music/TV on, maybe there are even people visiting the house! You can’t expect your child to leave a party and go right to bed: your child will usually be overstimulated and have some major FOMO. Your entire bedtime routine should be done in your child’s bedroom with the lights dimmed. If you are unable to dim your lights, what you can do is turn off your child’s bedroom lights, and have the door open with the lights on in the hallway. During this time, it’s important to pay close attention to YOUR mood! If you are a bit stressed out or moody at bedtime, this can cause your child to feel the same: resulting in a chaotic bedtime. Take a deep breath, and remain calm and collected!
Step 3: Remain positive!
Think of bedtime as a time of reflection, talking to each other, bonding, and having a nice time together. If you have that mentality about bedtime, then that’s what it will be! Go ahead and read your bedtime story or whatever you want to do: but it’s also so important to have conversations with your child during this time. Even if they are not old enough to respond yet, every time you talk with your child you are teaching them language skills! Talk with your child about all the positive things they did that day. Recap your day, and talk about tomorrow. Now, there is a fine line between talking about really exciting events that will happen tomorrow, and normal things that will happen tomorrow. I’ve made this mistake a few times, you don’t want to get your child too excited that they don’t sleep!
Step 4: Be Consistent in response to your child’s negotiations
Let’s say you have a child that always seems to need a snack before bed. Half an hour before bedtime, give your child the last call for a snack. Once your child is in their bedroom for their bedtime routine, that’s it! the kitchen is closed. There is no need to be making oatmeal and eggs for your child in bed, that is not part of the bedtime routine. You need to consistently tell your child- “that is not part of the bedtime routine, you already had your bedtime snack, let’s look at your bedtime routine cards and see what’s next.” The moment you give into your child’s negotiations is the moment that your child learns and knows that they are the ones in control. When you give up that control, you are giving in to the chaos and stress of bedtime.
Step 5: Reward your child!
Children need motivation! You want to have a reward system for first thing in the morning. When your child has a good bedtime, they stay in bed all night, they do a really great job: you want to reward them in the morning! This could be chocolate chips in their pancakes, letting them have strawberry milk or chocolate milk- anything out of the ordinary that would be considered a special treat for them. If food isn’t something you want to reward your child with, I have heard of some parents who do a morning parade for their child around the house. Do whatever works for your family- I’m not doing a parade at 7am, but to each their own.
Ready to download your bedtime routine cards? Click below!
