Do you suffer from bedtime battles?

Have you given-up on trying to get your kids to stay in their bedrooms at night? You’re not alone! Bedtime can be one of the toughest times of the day. Everyone’s tired and temper tantrums along with stalling techniques are used by kids with reckless abandon.
Here are a few ideas that may come in handy when the kids are pulling out all the stops:

~Try “bedroom time” instead of bedtime
While it's not within our control to make our kids fall asleep in their beds, we can control whether they stay in their rooms. Say, "You may do whatever you like as long as you stay in your room and you don't cause a problem."

~If they come out of their room, shut the door
Some parents decide to keep putting their children back in the room. Others decide to hold the door shut. Some decide to latch the door shut until their child is willing to stay in their room.

~Ensure supervision and safety.
Make the room safe and stay right outside their door until they are calm.

~Expect them to throw a huge fit.
This is normal.

~Don't talk to them through the door.
Each word we say increases the duration of their fit.

~Open the door only when they fall asleep or are willing to stay in their room.

~Be as consistent as possible.
When parents stick to this plan, they usually see major improvement in less than a week’s time.

~Use these tips only with children who are at least one year of age.
With little babies, just love them and do whatever it takes to sooth them. The first year of life is all about meeting needs and establishing trust and love.

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Helpful Hints & Tips

Well, it has been a long time since I have updated my blog, and anyone who knows me well knows that I am not the best at keeping these things updated. I was recently asked by a friend if I would start writing parenting hints and tips that she could include in one of her blogs. I was so excited about the idea that I of course agreed, and am going to of course post them on my own blog too. So...here is the first of many to come. I hope that you find them helpful and useful in your parenting.

The Power of Positive Language
If you have children, you know that some of the most common words used with them in a day can be the words like “no” “don’t” “stop” etc. Children are always experimenting and testing with their environment and with their parents to see what their limits are, so it seems natural that we as parents would have to tell them no quite often.
Because these negative words are “fighting words”, they can put a kid right into the defensive frame of mind, I would like to suggest a simple way to deflect most of these situations that can lead to arguments, frustration and misbehavior. Instead of telling a kid what they can’t do, try telling them what they can do! This may seem difficult at first and requires a little more thought on our part, but once you’ve tried it, you will find that it’s much easier than the ensuing fight that follows these negative words. Here are some examples…

Negative: No! You can’t go outside to play until your chores are done.
Positive: You can go outside as soon as your chores are done.
Negative: Don’t eat your food in the living room!
Positive: Food belongs in the kitchen. Thanks for eating it at the table.
Negative: Stop climbing on the table!
Positive: Please keep your feet on the floor.
Negative: Don’t leave your toys all over the floor.
Positive: Time to put your toys in the toy box.
Negative: Don’t forget your coat.
Positive: Remember your coat.

Try saying “no” by saying “yes” to something else!
Give this little tip a try and enjoy less fighting with your children!
Thanks for reading!

~Angie