By no means am I an expert, but just another parent on HN.
1. Ritualize
I notice a pattern with my kids: going to bed is a ritual, and any deviation is reason enough for them to leave the bed.
2. Slow down in advance
Going to bed after playtime is impossible. So cut screens, playtime, play/listen some quiet music, read books or newspaper (again, no tablet/reader), at
least 1h before bed time.
3. Recap the day
Remind your kids of their day, activities and make them aware of the fatigue. Works better when in bed, with mine.
4. Stay with them if they're afraid
Learn why they're afraid, teach them why there's no reason to be afraid. I've had to hang a sock to the door every night for months to scare tigers away :D
It just works ^^
Every parent knows the pain and every kid has their own back story and the relationship with the parent(s) is key to finding a way into bed.
Eventually, they will sleep.
In our case, we settled that unless exceptional situations, our kids had to fall asleep in their own bed, because we wanted/needed our intimacy. To get that, I had to stay in my kids' room for as long as 2hrs for months, but didn't let go. Today, going to bed is thankfully not a situation anymore.
I'm not sure this is in any way helpful, but here's my shared experience and learnings. YMMV.
1. Ritualize
I notice a pattern with my kids: going to bed is a ritual, and any deviation is reason enough for them to leave the bed.
2. Slow down in advance
Going to bed after playtime is impossible. So cut screens, playtime, play/listen some quiet music, read books or newspaper (again, no tablet/reader), at least 1h before bed time.
3. Recap the day
Remind your kids of their day, activities and make them aware of the fatigue. Works better when in bed, with mine.
4. Stay with them if they're afraid
Learn why they're afraid, teach them why there's no reason to be afraid. I've had to hang a sock to the door every night for months to scare tigers away :D It just works ^^
Every parent knows the pain and every kid has their own back story and the relationship with the parent(s) is key to finding a way into bed.
Eventually, they will sleep.
In our case, we settled that unless exceptional situations, our kids had to fall asleep in their own bed, because we wanted/needed our intimacy. To get that, I had to stay in my kids' room for as long as 2hrs for months, but didn't let go. Today, going to bed is thankfully not a situation anymore.
I'm not sure this is in any way helpful, but here's my shared experience and learnings. YMMV.