Bedtime Routine

We are the parents that get our kids to bed, most would say, pretty darn early. All three of our kiddos are in bed and asleep by 7:30pm. The reason we have made this such a large priority is so that my husband and I can make time, each night, for each other. Our days are so busy, between three kids, distance learning, my husband working a full time job and, an infant, we really don’t have a lot of time to actually connect durning the day, especially without interruption. After the kiddos are in bed we grab a drink and snack, talk through our day, and then binge watch Friends/New Girl until we can’t keep our eyes open any longer!

I’d like to preface this with two thoughts: One – every family is different, this is just what works for us and Two – like any such routine, this did not happen over night. We have practiced the same routine for many years now and it is predictable and consistent every night. We start bedtime for our 6 month old and 5 year old about 6:30, this allows us plenty of time to do all the bedtime things. One of us will feed the baby her nighttime bottle, while the other gets nightly vitamins for our two older kiddos, and has the 5 year old get water and use the restroom. We then gather to read a story together and say prayers. After that we give hugs and kisses and put the five year old to sleep as well as the 6 month old. Our 5 year old and 9 year old share a room. We let our 9 year old stay up for about 30 minutes after that. With her, we usually take time to play Uno, or watch a show of her choice. We then have her get water, use the restroom and get into bed, not of course without a goodnight hug and smooch!

Some of products we have used to help with good sleep habits and bedtime routines for our kiddos are Moms on Call book, sound machines (in both rooms), a sleep sack for the baby (the one below is what we used to transition out of a swaddle, blackout curtains and kids melatonin! Also, I feel like I should mention, our 5 year old struggles with night terrors and vivid dreams in general, this is where the melatonin came into practice. I believe it helps her sweet little body relax at the end of the day! Links for all items are listed below as well as a link to my Amazon store!

My Amazon Store https://amzn.to/2VRhrGt