Works For Me Wednesday - The Bedtime Routine

I mentioned yesterday that establishing a good bedtime routine is definitely a lifesaver for your family. If you have a predictable flow to your evenings, you will find that you will feel much better and your kids will be much more manageable. These routines are what work for us.

Here is an example of what we do around here. Please keep in mind that there are definitely some nights that don't seem to follow the plan. That's fine! That's life. I will say that those moments are few and far between, though. For a bedtime routine to work, it must actually be routine!

1. After dinner (5:30pm), we all pick up the kitchen together. Then I do the actual cleaning while Jason and the kids play outside (weather permitting) or inside if it's yucky out. This is not TV time or anything else. This is just play.

2. Until about 6:30pm, we all hang out together doing various things. Again, no TV. We try to keep the tone a quiet one by keeping the lights down, etc. This helps the kids begin to settle down.

3. At 6:30pm, I give Addison her bath. Then I do pajamas and brush her teeth (or gums!). After that, Jason takes her for a little bit while I make her bottle and turn the lights off in the living room and kitchen. The boys give her hugs and kisses, and then she's ready for her bottle and bed. She's asleep no later than 7:00pm each night. She typically sleeps until 7:30am.

4. While I'm feeding Addison, Jason gives the boys a bath, followed by pajamas. It really helps to do it this way, because they have to stay fairly quiet so they don't wake Addison up!

5. The boys now have a healthy bedtime snack. No sugary junk. During the summer, they usually get to stay up and watch some sort of show with us for a little bit, but during the school year, they do not.

6. Around 7:30, Jason brushes their teeth. A quick note about this - did you know that you should brush your child's teeth for them until they can write in cursive VERY WELL? We had been letting Logan do his own (he's almost 7) for the past couple of months, so I'm glad I found this out. It will save you and your child a good amount of grief down the road!

7. After teeth brushing and one last potty trip, it's off to bed. Jason invented "talk abouts" a few years ago with Logan, so that's what the three of them do each night. Logan and Peyton get to pick something to "talk about" for the night. It's basically a made-up story, and I have overheard some pretty creative subjects!

8. I end the night with them by tucking them in, saying prayers, and singing a few bedtime songs.

That's it! It all flows so smoothly, and all three of the kids are in bed early almost every night. As a mom, I'm sure you realize the importance of having some sort of "end" to your day. Mothering is a 24-hour on call job, so knowing that you have a break coming really can save the day. That's what works for me!

If you have some good bedtime tricks, please share! I think we can all agree that this is one subject that is an ongoing process!