"Anyone who thinks conversation is dead ought to tell a child to go to bed."
Try to keep your child on a somewhat normal routine/schedule. Keeping bath and quiet times prior to bedtime in place may help lower the mental activity level of your kiddo.
It may be that hiring a babysitter to help out during some of the holiday activities allows everyone to enjoy themselves a little bit....parents don't have to worry so much about their child and the child has a known support person they trust.
Limiting sugar may also help decrease the "high" they experience during the day and make bedtime a little more settled.
Any ideas for helping bedtimes stay "smooth"?
Sweet dreams!
We have (and have had for years now) designated QUIET TIME. When QUIET TIME is called, my son knows that he must do some activity that is quiet and calming, such as reading books, doing a puzzle, or quietly watching TV, for a preset amount of time (let's say 30 minutes). Because it is used every day, he knows what to expect during QUIET TIME.
ReplyDeleteIf you establish something like this right before bedtime, every day, it becomes part of your child's routine. When you are away from home in a strange environment, your child can still do QUIET TIME and have that soothing comfort needed before bedtime and find some peace in the routine of reading, etc.
Just make sure you have a take-along-bag prepared for when you are on-the-go. Since we have boys, ours is called the BOY BAG which includes books, puzzles, toys, emergency clothes and snacks. Keep it by the coats/door so you can grab it on the way out to your vehicle. Our boys are responsible for keeping the BOY BAG supplied with their QUIET TIME items and also for keeping the snacks replenished. :)
What a great idea! I love the fact that "quiet time" has its own expectations and can "travel" with you. We too have the entertainment bags and we remind our girls that they "have to entertain themselves"....it has books, their knit and crochet projects and snacks too.
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