Hello!

When my grandaughters sleep I have difficulty in settling them the 5 yr old starts with. I want a drink nan to I want a wee to I’m hungry than I have a belly ache. Do I just sit by the door. Help please.


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  • We make sure all of that is part of the bedtime routine so its all out of thr way. Dinner, last call for play, bath, brush teeth, wee, read story, drink water. Dimmed lights in the bedroom for storytime and we tell him its bedtime. There’s the odd occasion bedtime takes longer so we make sure we’re serious and not fun so theres no incentive to stay awake!


  • having a set routine is key. We don’t offer drink after dinner. It’s usually dinner, bath, walk then story and lights out. This seems to work well. We usually make them toilet before the bath and ask again after the walk. Just be tough and don’t be afraid to say no. Kids need to know what the boundaries are.


  • Set a routine and stick with it. If you keep going into the room, they will not settle.


  • I would suggest a strict routine for them at your place, perhaps an extra book or cuddle time- sounds like they just want to stay up with you,
    Then strict rules once in to bed, no drinks etc.
    My son will stay at my mums because she can/will get the cranky voice whereas mum in law cant/wont and he ends up coming home from her place- doesnt want to go to bed.


  • I usually threaten to take one of my daughters toys. She is 5 and has every excuse under the sun to get out of bed. Sometimes I go and lie with her for 5/10 minutes for a cuddle and that seems To Help settle her.


  • I wish I knew myself, my almost 5 year old is terrible with going to bed, and I’m her mum not her grandmother, ugh! She does the same thing, wants something to eat or whatever so she doesn’t have to go to sleep right away. Oh the joys of getting kids to sleep haha.


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