How to Win the Bedtime Wars

Okay, your kids just won't go to bed as told, how about reading something from an expert in this area and try it out, who knows you may just get your desired result this time

Are your children fighting you tooth and nail when it is time for them to go to bed?
Are you pulling your hair out and feel you have no options left?
Learn the simple secrets to restoring peace in your home and regain your sanity.

Things You'll Need:
Self Control
Patience
Persistence

Step 1
First thing that you must acknowledged is that you have to be the one in control, even when the children have seem to all gone mad. You must also know that this is going to take some hard work on your part but if you stick to it, you will have a totally new peaceful environment for everyone involved. You'll have a happier home.

Now, from this point on, you can not lose your temper. Always keep your composure no matter what. When the children see that you are not reacting they will get tired of acting in a demanding, whining, battling rage.

Before we get to what your actually going to do, you need to know that infants and children are different and therefore I will give you directions on how to go about handling each one.

Step 2
We will start with infants who don't want to sleep in their crib. Make a bedtime routine for your infant. Give your baby a bath, rub him/her down with lotion and finally give your baby a bottle or breastfeed before putting him/her down for the night.

Lay your baby down into the crib. Turn the lights out and sit down next to the crib. (Note: be prepared to listen to your baby cry and maybe scream and even say your name several times.) This is the hard part. When your sitting next to the crib, do not look at your baby, even if he/she is calling for you. Stay calm, you are teaching your little one to learn to calm and soothe themselves. This will work if you don't cave in. If you find you can't bear the sound of your baby's cry, wear ear plugs, or listen to an mp3 player.

When your child finally starts to settle down, move about a foot away from the crib, towards the door. Wait for about ten minutes and if there is no reaction from your baby, continue to keep moving a foot closer to the door. When your baby is finally asleep, you can then get up and leave the room.

This whole process will take up to 45 minutes each night. But, if you stay consistent, your child will fall asleep on his/her own without any help from you.

Now, on to your older children. The ones that throw temper tantrums and keep getting out of bed and whatever else they do just to avoid going to bed.

Again, make a bedtime routine, baths, have the last snack of the night and finally read a bedtime story. Take your child to his/her bed, give night time kisses and hugs, and tuck them into bed and tell them goodnight, its time to go to sleep now. Walk out of the room and close the door.If your child gets up out of bed, put your child back into bed and tell them it is time to go to bed and tell them goodnight once again. (Now you'll hear the crying and kicking and screaming.) Stay calm, just ignore this. They will probably tell you they hate you, but don't take that personally. What they really hate is that they know they lost control of you.

If your child gets up again, this time, take him/her back to bed, tuck him/her in and tell them goodnight one last time. Now, the third time your child gets up out of bed, you must stay in control and what I mean by that is you must not show any anger. Keep a straight face, no angry looks, no happy looks, just a blank face. Put your child back into bed, but this time, don't say anything, not a word.

Step 3
You'll continue to do this until your child exhausts him/herself. After about a couple of nights of this, your child will break down, knowing they aren't calling the shots anymore and they will know that bedtime is just that, bedtime.So, in the end, the simple secret formula is you must keep your self control, be persistent with your rules, and have patience because this does work.

Enjoy your peaceful nights!
by sunrizedreamer

...and remeber this, it is not over until you win...have a nice day