[GoddessDanu]

I just shared this with some daycare parents and thought I'd post this for anyone who is having problems with a bedtime routine.



Miss Christina’s Bedtime Routine

Follow it exactly or make changes that best fit with your family. Either way, your child needs to follow the same routine every single night. Miss one night towards the beginning and you’ll have to start all over again. It’ll take about a week to see a difference and a month to make this a habit. Be consistent!

Bath
Bath before bed should be relaxing. Don’t fill the tub with every single toy your child has; limit the toys to one or two favorites. Use a lavender-scented body wash or lavender-scented bubble bath.

Pajamas
Make sure pajamas are comfortable. Too tight can restrict movement. Lightweight fabrics for the summer and warm fleece or flannel for the winter.

Brush teeth
Even if your child doesn’t understand what teeth brushing is all about, she needs to do this every night. First brush your teeth while your child is watching. Then, using her toothbrush, pass it over her teeth a few times. Hand it to her and let her try. Even if she just sucks on it at least it’s in her hand and in her mouth.

Lamp on
Don’t turn on the big overhead light. Use a bedside lamp with soft wattage to set appropriate bedtime lighting.

Four stories plus “Nite-Nite Book”
Let your child pick out four books then lay her in bed and pull the covers over her. Sit in a chair next to her bed or sit on the edge of her bed. Do not lay down with her. This will get her used to falling asleep with you in the bed and that’s a very hard habit to break. The “Nite-Nite Book” should be the same exact book every single night. This is a queue that story time is over and it’s time to sleep.

Play soft lullaby music
Play the same music every single night for the first three months. Your child will become conditioned to sleeping when the music starts to play. Once your child has the bedtime routine down, you can start switching bedtime music. Music played at night should always be relaxing with no talking, just singing.

Light off, nightlight on
Turn off the lamp and plug in the nightlight. If your child wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t see anything, she’s more likely to get up and find you.

Pat back or tummy until asleep
However your child is the most comfortable sleeping, softly pat the area that faces up, whether it be a back or a tummy. Keep patting until your child goes to sleep. Expect this to be an hour the first night or two but the time will get shorter as your child gets more used to the routine.

Put him back to bed
If for whatever reason your child gets up in the middle of the night, put her back to bed and sit while patting her until she goes back to sleep. Just like earlier, expect this to take a while the first few nights but it will gradually get easier as your child gets used to the routine.

Good luck! Consistency is the key. Do this every single night, without fail, and putting your child to bed will become a breeze.