Have a Bedtime Routine with Your Toddler

After a day of running to keep up with an always on the gone toddler, most parents look forward to bedtime. Getting your toddler to look at bedtime as a blessing is not as easy. If bedtime for your toddler has become dreaded, you need to set up a bedtime routine. Starting a simple bedtime routine while your child is young and sticking to it keeps bedtime from being a nightmare.

Waiting until your toddler has dropped from sheer exhaustion then moving his sleeping body to his bed isn't a method I suggest using. Falling asleep in his toys and waking up in his bed can be confusing and even frightening for a toddler. Another problem with this method is as children near the point of complete exhaustion they tend to be irritable. Ending your day by listening to your toddler throw one tantrum after another is stressful for you and your child.

Starting the bedtime routine with a fight doesn't work well either. If your child doesn't like bedtime, you will find arguing with him increases his stress. If your toddler gets used to you fighting at bedtime this will become routine. Scheduled fights work for the WWF. Scheduled fights don't have a place when it comes to raising your toddler.

Putting your toddler to bed only to go back into her room every three to five minutes to give her something, talk to her, or put her back into bed for the next two hours isn't a great routine either. Your toddler needs to know bedtime is bedtime. Period.

You need to start a bedtime routine that parent and toddler can look forward to. Keep it simple. Stick to the routine. If your child is sick and needs a change from her normal bedtime routine, get back to her routine as soon as possible.

Giving your toddler a bath is a nice way to get him to relax. Bathing and putting pajamas on in the evening is a good way to signal bedtime is coming. The bedtime bath should be relaxing. You should keep from playing too much during bath time so your child isn't being woke up and energized by taking a bath. A warm bath followed by putting on pajamas and picking out a favorite book is an excellent bedtime routine.