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Bedtime!
Everyone hopes their children’s bedtime will be a pleasant end to the day. Yet for young children, it can be difficult. Many bedtime hassles can be reduced by some common sense suggestions. Read on to find out how to beat the bedtime blues.

Why Children Struggle with Bedtime
There are many reasons why kids don’t want to go to bed. Some of the more common ones are:

They don’t want the day’s fun to end
They are afraid of their parents leaving and of ghosts and monsters
They can’t relax without help
They don’t recognize that they’re tired
They want more time with the parent
They are stressed

How Parents Can Help

Remain calm but firm
Allow 30 minutes to one hour of quiet activity before bed
Follow routines
Remember you can set the stage for sleep but you can’t force the child to sleep
Allow the child to read or play with a night light on

How Much Sleep?
Each child’s need is different. However, if your child is often fussy he or she may not be getting enough sleep. Here is a guideline for how much sleep the typical child needs:


Age	Daytime	Nighttime	Total Hours
1 week	8-81/2 hours	9 hours	17-17 1/2 hours
1 month	6 1/2 hours	9 1/2 hours	16 hours
3 months	5 1/2 hours	10 1/2 hours	16 hours
6 months	3 1/2 - 4 hours	12 hours	15 1/2-16 hours
12 months	3 hours	12 1/2 hours	15 1/2 hours
2 years	1 1/2 - 2 hours	12 1/2 hours	14-16 hours
3 years	1 hour	12 hours	13 hours
4 years		12 1/2 hours	12 1/2 hours
5 years		11 1/2 - 12 hours	11 1/2 - 12 hours

Suggestions on Bedtime Routines

Give the child transition time.
Help the child identify time.
Make up a ritual song.
Make a chart of everything the child does before bed.
Allow some “unwinding” time.
Pray with your child or talk about things to be thankful about.
Make some rules about the number of stories or songs before bed.
“Stop the popping” – If children keep popping out of bed, say, “Stay in bed. I’ll be back in 5 minutes to check on you”.