Bedtime Tips for Parents with More Than One Child
Bedtime can be a struggle at the best of times. If you add more than one child into the mix, it can be an absolute nightmare! Having multiple children to look after myself, and my partner being no longer with us, sometimes I do find it very difficult to keep up. I always refer back to these bedtime tips for parents with more than one child though. I find that they’re super helpful when sleep time rolls around.
Bedtime Tip 1: Read Them a Bedtime Story
Depending on each child’s age and their taste in books, you may need to have a few options on hand for the first of our bedtime tips. You can read to your kids all together or each one separately. It’s all up to personal preference and what works best for your family.
Roald Dahl has a great selection of children’s books. As does Enid Blyton. These authors will generally appeal to any and all age groups as their writing style is quite fluid.
For those especially creative older kids, you could encourage them to create their own bedtime story and read it to you and their siblings.
Bedtime Tip 2: Turn Bedtime into a Game
Whether it’s the age-old classic “counting sheep” or a little game of Eye Spy in their bedroom, your kids are going to love spending time before bed having fun with you. You don’t want it to get too rowdy, so encourage everyone to speak in a whisper as part of the rules of the game.
Set a limit of 5 rounds per night and stay firm on this. Get them into a routine that’s fun, but still shows them that bedtime means bedtime.
Bedtime Tip 3: Get the Older Kids to Help Put the Younger Kids to Sleep
Sometimes all a child wants is to be like mum or dad. The last of these bedtime tips is the perfect way to allow them a little responsibility and gives them an opportunity to bond with their younger siblings. It’s also going to give you a little break from the bedtime routine – it’s a win, win!
Of course, you’ll still need to supervise at all times, but you can relax a little knowing you’re allowing your older kids to learn valuable leadership skills.
So, what are your thoughts and experiences with putting multiple children to bed? Do you have any other tips to add? Let us know in the comments.
If you have any questions at all about this article, or need a helping hand putting your littlies to bed each night, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here for you, always!
Until next time, Sleep Sweet and Sleep Deep!