![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedtime ritual
Jul. 17th, 2011 09:22 pmOne of my tricks for getting children to stay in bed is the microwave timer.
You do the bedtime routine, in our case toilet, toothbrushing, hair brushing, pajamas, english reading, chinese reading, a story. then we leave the room, asking if the door should be left open or closed (this distracts her from the protest about needing another story).
Occasionally, soon after the routine is complete, Rose will get out of bed and demand; an apple, a drink or another story. She is refused and taken back to bed. If she gets up again I will then resort to the microwave timer.
I tell her she can have whatever it is she would like - after she has stayed in bed for 20 min. I then set the microwave timer and walk away. I have never had to get an apple or read another story.[1]
It was always an occasional thing, but tonight she came out, James told her she could have a story in 20 min and she walked off again to bed. I think tonight is the third night in a row. Maybe it's a necessary part of the routine now?
[1] Although it didn't work so well for my niece the other night. Fair enough really, it was her first night away from her mother.
aaaargh!!! It was wrong to blog it!!!!
You do the bedtime routine, in our case toilet, toothbrushing, hair brushing, pajamas, english reading, chinese reading, a story. then we leave the room, asking if the door should be left open or closed (this distracts her from the protest about needing another story).
Occasionally, soon after the routine is complete, Rose will get out of bed and demand; an apple, a drink or another story. She is refused and taken back to bed. If she gets up again I will then resort to the microwave timer.
I tell her she can have whatever it is she would like - after she has stayed in bed for 20 min. I then set the microwave timer and walk away. I have never had to get an apple or read another story.[1]
It was always an occasional thing, but tonight she came out, James told her she could have a story in 20 min and she walked off again to bed. I think tonight is the third night in a row. Maybe it's a necessary part of the routine now?
[1] Although it didn't work so well for my niece the other night. Fair enough really, it was her first night away from her mother.
aaaargh!!! It was wrong to blog it!!!!
