Am I the only parent whose kids are still falling asleep after 9:30pm, even after falling back?
No matter how early we start bedtime, they are still up asking for things (water, a trip to the bathroom) after 9pm!
Blerg.
Bedtime
A Courageous Attempt
Sounds hard. My son has never been a great sleeper (middle of the night wake ups, no naps) but bedtime has not really been a problem since we sleep trained when he was a baby.
Can you leave water in the room and tell them to go to the bathroom on their own? My good friend doesn’t do bedtime. Once her kids transition to a bed at around 3, she just puts them in their pajamas and walks them to their rooms at around 7:30 and then let’s them play for as long as they want. Sometimes they go to bed at 8 and sometimes closer to 10. Would that work for you?
Could you start implementing Last Call Rules? At specific times~ last call for drink, last call for potty, last call for books, last call for snuggles, last call for stuffed animals? Or/and have children get into pjs while you prep dinner so that specific stalling period is done? (Yes, I too have seen a child take 45 minutes to take off their day clothes and get into pjs AND have also seen in happen in less than 60 seconds so I KNOW that is possible.) Delays can become part of the ritual and are hard to change but also important to change. (No tv/electronics until this happens for 100% of the children also helps.)
Late ‘head on pillow’ times are hard on child, learning, growth, health, parents, marriages, self control, jobs, sanity, finances, and etc). Could I be speaking from ‘been there know that song’? Yupe. Sympathy and compassion to you.
Mine don’t stay up too late at night, but they sure as heck are getting up early. Harvey kept whining that he was thirsty and his tummy hurt last night, and I ignored him. And then he puked all over this morning. Yay. 😉
No, you are not the only one. My 7 year old just has a really really hard time falling asleep and is often up until 10pm, and he likes coming out of his room over and over (water, bathroom, this hurts/that hurts, I can’t sleep). He shares a room with his little brother who needs a lot more sleep and no problem falling asleep if interrupted, so we’ve had a hard time figuring out what to do that keeps him in his room (and out of our hair) but also not bothering/waking up the 6 year old. I finally bought a small adjustable reading light that I hook onto his bed and point down, and he stays up reading and switches the light off when done. FINALLY my husband and I were able to have a conversation and one day even watch a show uninterrupted before 10PM.
You’re not the only one. Mine fall asleep between 9:30 and 10:30. (On weekdays 10 is the latest). But they don’t seem tired and we don’t have to wake up very early, so we’re fine with this. I actually like some extra time with them now that my younger one is in day care and my older one has his friends and hobbies.