Bedtime is the craziest time of the day at our house. It’s important to me to keep a solid structure in place so that we avoid as many melt-downs as possible. That is why when Orajel™ asked if we were interested in participating in their Read2Me Tonight campaign, I was excited because it fit right in to our lives.
I don’t know about yours, but the more tired my kids are, the more rambunctious they tend to get. I do not have the type of children who just quietly run out of steam. This means that bedtime is the loudest, craziest time of the day at our house.
I do have a few tips for keeping things (sort of) under control.
1.Say yes to something fun. You want to wear your sunglasses while you brush your teeth? Sounds great. If I spend all of my time saying no, then bedtime is no fun for any of us. Besdies, look at that face.
The Scholastic and Orajel™ team sent us this fun PAW Patrol™ toothbrush and toothpaste set, plus a book for the Read2Me Tonight Challenge. Penny is a huge fan, and ran to grab her matching PAW Patrol™ sunglasses right away to match her toothbrush. (She did take them off later to read.)
2. We are taking turns around here. We installed two sinks in our kids’ bathroom when we built our house, thinking it would be great for when multiple kids needed to brush their teeth. For some reason, they all still insist on using the “good” sink on the right (the sinks are identical), so it is good practice in waiting your turn.
Our bedtime book is another area where we practice taking turns. Sometimes we read a long chapter book together, like Harry Potter, if they all agree and we can do several pages per night for a long stretch of time. Most of the time, though, we alternate nights and my kids take turns picking the bedtime book. Penny was excited to read The Three Bees book that came in the mail just for her with her special new toothbrush. As the youngest, she doesn’t always get brand new books, toys, or clothes. Her oldest sister was also jealous that she got a package, and Penny was relishing that just a little too much.
3. We are sticking to our routine. Especially in a house where one or more of the children have special needs, sticking to a routine is crucial as we get ready to go back to school. Kids need to know exactly what they can expect and when. We try to keep our bedtime routine the same every night to ease the transition from summer into the school year. An early bedtime also helps my kids get the rest their bodies need to recharge, plus it gives parents time to be adults free from crayons and pouring juice in sippy cups for a few hours in the evening.
Make sure you visit Scholastic’s Read2Me Tonight website to learn more about this challenge and how you can get involved!
This post was sponsored by Orajel™. The opinions and text are all mine.
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