Getting Your Child to Sleep: Tips for a Hassle-Free Bedtime

"Its bedtime, dear." Those are words that most every toddler and preschooler hates to hear. I've had my fair share of hassle trying to getting them to go to sleep myself, and I've tried many different approaches. While some definitely helped, others were to no avail. Therefore, I've compiled a list of my most helpful endeavors from which others can benefit in their struggle against bedtime battles.

Eliminate the distractions that make bedtime seem like a waste of time to your kids

I came to the conclusion long ago that kids see bedtime as a completely unnecessary waste of good playing time. One of the fundamentals to preventing bedtime tears is winding down activity prior to bedtime to a crawl; no TV, computer games or any other loud upbeat activities. They may read a book or play a quiet game instead. It helps in the transition from playing to sleeping. In this manner bedtime won't seem like such a drag away from the action. This will in no wise make bedtime hassle free but it will make it easier.

Let bedtime be a pleasant routine that you and your child enjoy.

Don't let bedtime be a meaningless ritual of brush teeth, wash face and hop into bed. It should be preceded by a relaxing bath or shower in addition to the other hygienic necessities. Once that's out the way, everyone knows a good book is next. A favorite in our house is Sailor Bear by Martin Waddell. They never seem to tire of it so that I now know the whole thing by heart. The theme and ending are just perfect to help little ones appreciate their own comfy bed and home. Not only does reading in it self help but the loving attention behind it all helps assure your child that their not just being shipped off to bed to be out of the way. That means singing counts too. Anything that's slow and repetitive is preferable to lull them to sleep.

Once you've established a routine that you and your child are comfortable with, stick to it. Kids feel safe and secure in a familiar, predictable environment.

See to it that the sleeping environment is sleep friendly and that the child is tired when its bedtime.

Doesn't a dimmed light, a sweet, comforting smell and a soft white noise like a babbling brook make you just want to curl up and sleep? It's the same way with kids. A low wattage lamp by the bed to read by is much more sleep inducing than a bright over head light, and a small nightlight will help reduce darkness anxiety but not interfere with sleep. Your nightlight can double as a plug-in fragrance emitter that fills the room with a drowsy scent. Drowsy in this case simply means not something that makes you feel energetic or full of life like a fruity scent. Fruity just seems bouncy don't you think? Rather opt for something like lavender chamomile or fresh waters; they give you more of a relaxed feeling. And last but definitely not least make sure the bed is comfortable.

The other issue is whether the child is actually tired enough to fall asleep when they hit the pillow or do they actually lie awake for awhile talking to them self or playing with teddy? This can happen if the child did not engage in any fun, fast-paced, energy consuming games that day. This does not mean that you've got to run a marathon with your child so they'll go to sleep, but if they haven't actually done anything that will tire them out, they will be kind of tired because their biological clock will have acknowledged that after this many hours of wakefulness it is time for rest, but their body won't really agree because they don't feel tired. If it was a slow day, skip the afternoon nap or have them help you do something that will get those little muscles pumping. What ever you do, make sure they've worn themselves out and that way they'll have much less energy to fight with you at bed time.

These techniques worked for me when I was at my wits end and I hope they'll do the same for you.