Help your child get a good
night's rest
Just when you thought you'd
pulled your last
all-nighter, your baby
becomes a kid who won't go
to bed.
The first step toward a good
night's rest: Create a
routine that takes you out
of the equation before your
child drifts off:
Set a bedtime.
Going to bed at the same
hour every night will help
set your child's internal
clock. If the time has
slowly creeped up, or you
want to change it, take a
few days to move the time
back in deliberate 15-minute
increments.
Pick three or four
calming activities, such as
stories, lullaby tapes, a
back rub, or tucking in a
doll. Start the routine
at the same time every
night, and plan for it to
last about 30 to 45 minutes
(including bathtime, using
the bathroom, and brushing
teeth). Reading the same
stories or singing the same
songs every night might be a
little bit deadly for you,
but it's what kids love and
it'll soothe them to sleep.
Mark what you've
accomplished. Some kids
love a bedtime chart, says
Jodi Mindell, Ph.D., author
of Sleeping Through the
Night. It's satisfying
to check off each item --and
it makes clear to everyone
(kid, you and dad, the
babysitter) what's expected.
End the routine in
your child's room, in bed.
Whether it's with a final
story or song or a special
tuck-in, you want your child
to consider his bed a place
where positive things
happen, rather than where
he's banished to sleep.
