If they go to bed right away without an argument, it’s a trick! – they reappear just as you’ve poured yourself a cup of tea or you are about to settle down with a favorite TV show. But most of the time, you have to fend off pleas for “just ten more minutes” or simply a stubborn “No!” that is a clear indicator of the battle yet to come. It’s not just a question of getting them into bed, either; once they are there, it seems to take them a long time to actually fall asleep. While it might seem like an impossible dream, you can implement some strategies that will make bedtime easy on them but easier on your.

Bedtime isn’t Negotiable

It’s an irrefutable law of nature that children need sleep in order to function at school and enjoy playing and exploring the world around them. In order to do that, kids need to go to bed. Set a time that is reasonable and make it known to your child or children.

To establish a nightly routine, it’s best to stick to the agreed-upon time. Outline exceptions to the rule and special circumstances, such as weekends, a birthday that falls on a week night, etc. before attempting any new bedtime routine. Otherwise you’ll end up making exceptions every night, defeating the purpose of an establish routine.

For older children, you may want to discuss it with them and get their input as part of the decision-making process. If you have more than two children, you might want to give each child his or her own bedtime so that you can concentrate on one child’s needs at a time.

Prepare for Bedtime as soon as They Get Home

Since they’ll have to get up in the morning and do it all over again, they will need to prepare for the next day.

Set a time that everything needs to be done by. For example, if bedtime is 8 o’clock, stipulate that homework must be in the backpack along with everything they will need for the following day, including their sports equipment or ballet shoes.

Make it clear that if bedtime is at 8, then they should be in bed – not just getting ready for bed.

Let your child know what the ground rules are exactly, such as once in bed, there’s no getting out of bed (unless of course, it’s an emergency).

Make Bedtime Interesting or Rewarding

Sum up the day for your children, pointing out their accomplishments and praising them for getting ready for bed on time and remembering to brush their teeth.

Wind the day down. Going to straight from playing to having to put jammies on might be a difficult adjustment for some children to make. My daughter loves to read, so in our house, her bedtime is 8:30 but she gets to read for half an hour before the light must be turned out.

Encourage them to follow the evening routine for a certain length of time by rewarding them with a special activity like a concert, a movie they want to see or a trip to the park.