Bed Time Parenting Tip

We’ve had a hard time getting our kids to bed recently without any fussing or stalling. Hannah is the ‘Master of Stalling’. She can easily extend her bedtime a half hour or more with very little effort. But what do you do when your child is dying of thirst after they’ve been put to bed? How do you say ‘No’?

Give them the Choice: The first thing you should do is give them the choice. If they want to use stall tactic #73 (I forgot to tell you I saw a goldfish at school today), then they can. But there will be consequences. You can get out of bed to tell me this incredibly important information, but that will mean bed time gets moved up earlier tomorrow. The choice is yours.

Something To See: They need to clearly see how their consequences will impact them. So we created a chart to place on our fridge (see image above) and then printed out two small images with their faces glued to a magnet. This way we can immediately adjust their bed time. When one child fusses when they are asked to go up to bed, we simply walk to the fridge and deduct five minutes off of tomorrow’s bed time. It’s amazing how quickly their attitude changes.

Not Just for Stalling: The chart works great for applying consequences for any disobedience. If your kids are fighting during the day, then they can do that, but they have to understand – ‘Consequences’. Again, let them know the choice is theirs to make, but it will have…you got it…’Consequences’.

Positive Reinforcement: Don’t just make the chart a bad thing. It’s a great way to encourage whatever type of positive attitude or trait you want in your children as well. If we notice something extra special that our children do, then their bed time can be pushed back later.

Be Consistent: The key to this is sticking with it. First, be sure to choose your battles. You don’t want to be running to the fridge every two seconds to adjust their bedtime. Pick one or two things both good and bad to deal with. And then, every time it occurs, show them the consequences, either good or bad.

What works best for you when disciplining your kids or dealing with bed times?

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