Bedtime techniques for young children

The problem with this lifestyle is that fast foods and even some foods prepared at sit-down restaurants are loaded with fat, sodium, and cholesterol, not to mention the food additives that are used for presentation purpose and the oils that these foods are cooked in.  All of these components can make for a cranky, unfulfilled youngster who doesn't want to go to bed.  By the time bedtime rolls around, the ingredients in some of these foods have given him a quick high that makes him more energetic and talkative rather than calm and ready for rest.  And sometimes during his sleep, these foods are still working their way through his system causing stomach discomfort like gas and indigestion resulting in a little face greeting you bedside at 2am. 

Here are some ways to help ease the nightly transition from playtime to bedtime and hopefully give you and your child more hours of restful sleep:

• Allow yourself twenty minutes as soon as you walk in to do nothing.  I work at home but even I have to have my "decompression time" at the end of each day.  This is a time I use to sit and relax, read a magazine, call a friend, or love on my children.  There is NO BILL PAYING, NO PAPERWORK, AND NO HOUSEWORK ALLOWED DURING THIS TIME!
• Go ahead and plan a menu for the upcoming week and ALWAYS take a grocery list with you to avoid overspending at the store
• Make the crock pot your best friend.  You can put a chicken or roast with some vegetables in there before leaving for work each day and have a meal ready when you come home that evening.
• If you don't feel comfortable leaving a crock pot on when you are not home, choose one day per week (maybe a Sunday) and make it a cooking day.  Cook all the meals you plan to serve for the entire week and freeze them with labels.  Pull one out each night to be heated and served for dinner.
• While your dinner is thawing or heating, throw a load of laundry in or do some homework with your child.
• Clean your mess as you prepare dinner throwing trash away and putting away butter, mayo, and ketchup as you are done with it.  It makes for a lot easier clean up time after dinner.
• Sit and talk with your children at dinner time asking what the BEST and WORST part of their day was.  It makes them feel special to know you are interested in THEIR day instead of them always having to hear you complain about yours.  But you get a chance to vent a little when they ask what your best and worst part was. :)
• After dinner, go ahead and get bath time (and homework) out of the way if you haven't already.  Get your child to brush their teeth and potty for the night. They are more apt to do this if you do as well, plus studies have shown that people who brush their teeth right after dinner tend to not snack later before bed because they don't want to have to brush their teeth again.
• Sit on your child's bed and read them a story or have them read to you.  Afterwards, say a prayer with them if you feel inclined to do so.  This is a very calming way to bond with your child. 
  
• When all of this is done, and you are sure your child does not have to potty again and needs nothing else (really), tell her goodnight and state that she must stay in her bed and not get up unless it's an emergency.  Needing water, or being scared of monsters is not an emergency by the way.
• If your child does get up the first time, say, "Bedtime sweetie" and nothing more and walk her back to her bed. 
  
• If she gets up a second time, say only, "Bedtime" and nothing more and walk her back to her bed.
• Each time after this that she gets up say NOTHING and walk her back to her bed. After about the third night of doing this, it will get easier and easier to get her to sleep and stay asleep.
• If your child still needs a little bit of nudge, feel free to have some soft classical music (no lyrics just music) playing in the background.  But please, DO NOT LEAVE THE TV ON FOR YOUR CHILD TO GO TO SLEEP TO.  This leaves animated images and messages in their brain to stimulate activity and does not allow your child to sleep peacefully.