This post was sponsored by Jasco, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Bedtime for the longest time felt like it was a marathon to be run with so many things to do and take care of. When I finally stepped back and got my children involved in the process it all seemed to go much smoother. I made this darling printable (that you can download for free at the bottom of this post), so the kids would know what to expect every step of the way. We can go through the printable together and check each thing off of our list, making our night time preparation much easier and more fun. I also stopped looking at bedtime as a chore and instead looked at is as an opportunity to grow closer to my kids and let them know that I love them. I use to dread bedtime but now reading to my kids before bed is my absolute favorite part of my day! Here is a list of all of the things that you can do to help your bedtime preparations go smoother.
Bedtime Routine Tips and Free Printable
Bedtime Checklist– Grab the checklist and get the kids started on the items. It always helps us to actually have the list to check out. Laminate it and then you can check it off each night with a dry erase marker!
Bath Time– We don’t always have time or energy for a bath at night but I have noticed that when we take the time the rest of the routine goes smoother. Bath time is a great way to calm your child down and get them ready for sleep.
Vitamins– This is a personal preference for us, but I give my kids their vitamins at night. It helps me remember to give them to them.
Brush Teeth– As soon as your child has even one tooth, you should be brushing them. Our dentist recommends that parents take a turn brushing their child’s teeth after the child is finished until they are 12. I know that seems really old to be checking their teeth, but it is better than cavities. We let our kids use the children’s flossers which helps them be excited about flossing and we do a mouthwash afterwards to get any of the sugar bugs left behind. So far our routine has worked no cavities for either of our kids.
Fill Up Water Bottles/ Get a drink– If your kids are anything like mine, they will get out of bed a million times for a glass of water. We eliminated this temptation by putting a small water bottle by their beds. Now we fill up the bottles before bedtime and they have all the water they need.
Pajamas– One of the biggest reasons my kids wake up in the middle of the night is because they have kicked off their blankets and they are cold. I try and prevent this by dressing them for the season. In summer I dress them in lightweight cotton jammies and in the winter I prefer warm, fuzzy footie pajamas. If you can keep them from getting too warm or too hot, it will help them stay asleep in bed.
Set Out Clothes– This doesn’t help our nighttime routine but it sure makes our mornings easier. If my kids can hop out of bed and immediately get dressed the morning goes so much smoother. It is definitely worth taking a couple of minutes to lay out outfits.
Bed Time Story– My kids call this “read aloud crowd” and I love it. We read together every night they are in bed on time. It helps them want to be in bed because they know they will get a story.
Special Song– We have had special songs for each of our children since they were born. I don’t consider myself a singer by any stretch of the imagination, but there is something about singing to my kids that always calms them down and gets them ready to sleep. Each of my kids have a different separate song, so I usually end up singing both each night.
Prayers – If you aren’t religious, go ahead and skip this one but in our house saying a family prayer helps our kids calm down and feel tucked in for the night.
Hugs and Kisses– Our children get hugs and kisses from each parents before we leave their room for the night. It is one of their favorite parts of the routine because they can always talk their dad into giving them kisses like a robot.
Humidifier– We run a humidifier in our girls room at night in the winter just because we live in such a dry area!
Night Light– Night lights make a BIG difference in how well my children sleep at night. We have been using Projectables® LED Night Lights by Jasco and they not only add the light my kids need to not be scared, but they also make it fun! These cool nightlights project colors or images onto the walls and ceilings of your child’s room. They have Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Frozen, Cars, Disney Princesses and so many more. If you child isn’t into a specific character they have a series that projects the solar system or even the Northern Lights onto the wall. They are not only comforting to my children, but they are cost effective as well. They use LED lights, which are long lasting and energy efficient, so they create less heat and ultimately only cost pennies a year to use. They stay cool to the touch, so they are perfect for even your younger kids and they have a rotating globe for easy positioning of the image up to 10 feet away
They have both battery operated options and plug in options so they can truly go into any space. One of my favorite parts? No need to turn it off and on. With light sensing technology, they automatically go off at dawn and turn on at dusk. My kids favorite part? They are just plain fun, they project a 3 foot image on the wall of their favorite characters so instead of being scared that they are in the dark, they are thrilled to see their friends again. My kids have both struggled to go asleep without me in the room and this has definitely helped. I feel like it makes bed time cheery instead of gloomy. You can find the Projectables and most major retail stores or view them all at projectables.com.
What helps your children sleep well at night?
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