Tuesday 2 February 2016

Do's and Dont's of bedtime for toddlers


Toddlers are the most strange funny creatures of this world. There ability to go from happy to psycho is somewhat impressive. I don't know how hilarious.... Borderline crazy other toddlers may be but this is based on my children (some may be exaggerated to some degree).


Do make sure you read a nice selection of stories, they say reading at bedtime is good for them. 
Don't forget to set a limit other wise you will be reading aaaallllll night. 

Do make sure there is some choice in bedtime stories
Don't forget to hide the books that are irritating or that you may have read for the last year EVERYNIGHT. Not Pip and posy again!

Do make sure they go to toilet before bed.
Don't think that they won't be at your bedside at 4am regardless needing a wee.


Do pander to the requests sometimes just to get them to go to bed, so you can look at photos of them and miss them whilet they are asleep.
Don't for the sake of all humanity turn out the hallway light. You will never hear the end of it.


Do make sure you place them back into there bed calmly if they continue to keep on getting out of bed.
Don't stand outside the bedroom playing sirens saying naughty policeman will come if you don't go to sleep, trust me it doesn't work. 

Do make sure that a you give a nice cuddle before bed. 
Do not under any circumstances forget otherwise it will be tears until dawn. "You didn't give me a big cuddle at bed time I can't sleep now ever".

Do purchase a gro clock for helping them know when to get up. 
Don't expect it to work or in my toddlers case learn how to change it themselves. She gets up when she wants to regardless of the clock. 

Do grab all special teddies way before bedtime. 
Don't forget that sodding unicorn who five minutes to bedtime I swear leaves the house because he can never be found. Leaving you with a distraught toddler. Blooming selfish unicorn.

Do check on them in the night to make sure they are warm enough.
Don't forget to use the skills you learnt with a newborn for ninja stealth mode, you will have endless questions if you wake them.

Do encourage a settling down period before bedtime to ensure a swift bedtime. 
Don't expect your husband to abide as he hypes the children with dance music and biscuits. 

Do celebrate if your child goes to bed without fuss.
Don't do what I did and watch a comedy resulting in me laughing, resulting in what I call the toddler peep. the toddler peep is where you see something out of the corner of your eyes and too your surprise its a quite toddler wide eyed just staring at you, often found at 4am.

Do praise the nights when they go to bed well.
Don't forget  lollypop in the morning is not ever a good idea, believe me sugar high at 7am is NEVER fun. 




Do remember how ever hard bedtime is you may get a little free time and spend it looking at photos/ videos of your child remembering theres at least another 24 hours till you have to do  it again....






15 comments:

  1. I've been trying to think of anything you missed, but this was pretty comprehensive. Great post

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  2. There's a lot of truth here. Toddler days are fun, but such hard work too.

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  3. Aren't toddlers great?! As they get older it only seems to get worse too with the long list of things they *must* tell you before they can possibly go to sleep!

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  4. Some great tips there hun ... especially the ones about limiting how many books you read.. I would be reading all night if the kids had it there way lol xx

    http://www.theparentingtrials.com
    X

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  5. 'Ninja stealth mode' Ha Ha Ha! This is so true - Boo may be 4 but these dos and don'ts still very much apply x

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  6. some great tips youve got here! Elliotts not that a bad sleeper, but i will think of these if he suddenly decided that sleep isnt his thing! Suz x beauisblue.com

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  7. Ha ha!

    My two were always great at bedtime - it's a whole other story now that they're 10 and 13. I think Karma is paying me back for being smug that I never had any bedtime issues when they were younger ;-)

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  8. I HATE bedtimes with a passion. Maxi was and still is a gem at going to bed. Mini on the other hand is hell on earth and I dread it

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  9. Great advice. We had a go glo clock and it was brilliant. My son went to sleep ok but got up at ridiculous o'clock every day until the go glo clock, it saved my sanity!

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  10. Great advice. We could've never lived without our grow clock at bedtimes!

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  11. Ha, we do the hallway lights even now and hubbies never learn to play it down, mine still plays airplanes and hide and seek at bedtime with her, despite 6 years of nagging, lol!xx

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  12. Some lovely tips!!

    www.sophobsessed.com

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  13. Brilliant! They're such little tinkers aren't they. Our daughter (5) has been going to sleep at 10pm for months - until recently. Hopefully we have turned a corner!

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  14. Great post - I was nodding along. Especially the limiting books, finding toys to cuddle and other half's disobeying the bed time calm down (in our case he has a tendency to attack with tickles!). Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday

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  15. These are great and I can relate to so many. haha Parent of two toddlers my goodness no one EVER turn off the hallway light. :) Thanks for linking up to Share With Me #sharewithme

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