Bedtime and Naps

It seems like some people have no problems getting their children to go to sleep at night. Others dread bedtime because it can be so unpredictable. We were in the "others" group. It's not because we didn't have a routine because we have had the same routine for years. Some nights are so easy - we don't have to say anything and pajamas are on, teeth are brushed, and everyone is ready for bed. The other nights were dreadful. We put the kids to bed, one would come out to get water, the other would come out to use the bathroom, then one of them would come out to tell a story. This went on for an hour or more. It was frustrating but it was difficult say "you can't use the bathroom" or "we don't want to hear your story". So we had to determine what was causing this on some nights and why other nights were easy and come up with a solution.

We identified the problem. Neither of our preschoolers take naps at home but they are required to at least lay on their cots until everyone is asleep at preschool. Sometimes they may fall asleep which means they get an extra 2 hours of sleep in the afternoon. By bedtime they just weren't tired yet but I need that time from 8:30 to 11:00 to do things around the house, call family, catch up on bills, and relax so I want them to go to sleep. Once they go to sleep, they both sleep well and get at least 10 hours of sleep at night. So that combined with the 2 in the afternoon is over the 11 hours of recommended sleep for children their age.

So we now ask them if they slept at school and we plan our evenings around their answer. If they slept at school, we allow them to quietly look at books in their room for 20 minutes. If they can do it without being loud or fighting with each other then they get to stay up and I can still get my things done. It seems to work most nights but we do still have those occasional nights when they just don't want to go to sleep.