WHY A BEDTIME ROUTINE IS IMPORTANT


Ever since my eldest was born I wanted to try and put her into a bedtime routine as soon as possible. I found it pretty simple to get Mia into a bed time routine although she slept in my bed for at least 7 months. I started to put her into her own cot from 7 months onwards, it took a lot of patience but it worked in the end. She then decided to wake up around 1am - 3am every night which was tiring but somehow I got used to it, I feel really lucky now to say she sleeps all night now.

Elliw was a little different. She didn't have her first full night sleep until she was around 7 months old. I remember that day taking her upstairs and trying to settle her around 8pm -9pm and she was around 4 months old. Mia settled into a routine at around 2-3 months and that is when she had her first full night sleep too.

Whatever I tried to do, sing, read or cuddle, Elliw just wouldn't settle at the same time every night and that lasted up until recently. Even though we would put her to bed the same time as Mia she would scream/cry herself to sleep and end up sleeping on the floor! The past month or two we have been lucky and she has been settling in her own bed straight away!

Having a bedtime routine is really important for you and your child/ren. Children need to sleep a certain amount of hours and you can read a sleeping guide here. Neither of my children will have a nap in the day anymore and if I am honest, I really do miss it.

A lack of sleep can really effect the child's concentration and behaviour during the day. When a child is over-tired they can misbehave and act very hyper. When a child has school it is really important that your child has enough sleep to be able to concentrate for the full school day. This all comes down to a good bedtime routine.

TIPS AND ADVICE TO GET YOUR CHILD INTO A GOOD BEDTIME ROUTINE
If you are having trouble in getting your child into a bedtime routine then you could follow some of these tips from my personal experience.

BATHTIME
Having a bath before bed can calm the child down. You can buy some 'night time' bubble baths that can give your child a good sleep.

STORY
Giving your child a story before bed is great for a bedtime routine. It can learn your child and keep your child calm at the same time. I read a book to my girls every single night.

BLACKOUT CURTAIN
Blackout curtains can give your child a decent night sleep. When it gets lighter in the evenings you don't want to mess up your routine as the child may still think it is in the middle of the day because of how light it is. Having some darkness in the bedroom can calm a child down.

PATIENCE
With some children you will need patience as getting a child into a bedtime routine can involve a lot of crying and screaming, even controlled crying can help with this.

SET A TIME
When you start a bedtime routine set a rough time you wish to put your child to bed every day and stick to that time.

Do you have any bedtime routine tips?

Parenting Linkywhat katy said

10 comments

  1. Oh yes definitely agree with you on that one, from about 2-3 months old they went into a routine cos I know its important and want them to sleep through my eldest slept thru from 4-6 weeks old and my middle slept thru from 4 months it took me ages to get her to sleep thru. my youngest slept thru from 6 weeks. don't get me wrong we have had the nights where they wake up. My middle woke up from 2 years old with night terrors every night until she was 3 i put it down to being pregnant and school my youngest wakes up every so often not sure why but it will go on for a couple of nights till Im horrible basically wouldn't give her a cuddle or a kiss and tell her to get back into her own bed that does the trick feel horrible but she gets in to the habit to quick.

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  3. I've been trying to explain this point to my brother and his wife for three years and they just don't get it. Coincidently they also haven't slept well in three years

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  4. My daughter is going through this now with her son. Routine is the key. Great post

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  5. You are right it's so important, our bedtime routine has gone down the pan at the moment and we really need to sort that out again next week.

    Great advice and great post!!!

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  6. I totally agree with the bedtime routine. Its so important and its make a much happier child and home life too. I have mentioned many times on my blog just how hard it was when big J was little. We had no routine and he would be awake 23 hours a day. We always thought he didn't need sleep when infact he did its just there was no routine and he would go past the tiredness. It was a hard 4-5 years and I always said if we had another we would do everything differently. Little J has had a routine since day 1 and its amazing just how much sleep he has and we are all happy and can enjoy our days rather than being zombies. Thanks for linking up to Parenting - #ToddlersAndTeens via Mummy2Monkeys

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  7. Absolutely, bedtimes are crucial for good days! Thanks for linking up at the Thoughtful Spot!

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  8. Bedtime is crucial for kids and parents! It is hard when they are small, but being consistent always helped us!

    Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!

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  9. I couldn't have survived without our blackout blind when they were small! Great tips! Thank you for sharing in #KidsCorner x

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  10. great tips sometimes it just takes a little time and a hell of a lot of patients doesn't it! thanks for sharing at #kidscorner x

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