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Original poster

When did you stop supervising/helping DC get ready for bed?

12 replies

Bemyclementine · 28/09/2023 20:28

DC are 6 and 8, can be sitting quietly reading/playing/watching TV but as soon as they go upstairs, they start dicking around. They share a room and go to bed at the same time.

I am all out of patience by 8pm. I do hear myself being rather firm (stop messing about and get on with it!!)

There is NO WAY they would manage going up together, so am thinking of sending them up 1 at a time to get ready, before going up myself.

If they're having a bath ill be up with them but tonight was swimming lessons so they'd showered and got into pjs there. All they needed to do was toilet, wash hands, teeth.

OP posts:
Coffeaddict · 28/09/2023 20:32

At 8 DSS was still having a story so would go do teeth and pj himself then one of us would go up and read to him. At 6 that would be it and lights out but by 8 he would then be allowed 8 time to read himself before lights out.

He's 11 now and on weekends often stays up later then me🤣
On weekdays he's in bed by 9 but no real bed time routine any more

AndrewGarfieldsLaptop · 28/09/2023 20:34

My boy is 6. He has a shower, gets into PJs, has a story and then he's allowed to play with his toys until he falls asleep. I go off downstairs to eat or sort out his baby sister. Sometimes he ends up sleeping in my bed, but it's usually his.

Original poster
Bemyclementine · 28/09/2023 20:38

We do often have a bedtime story, it's the actual getting ready for bed part. I'm still supervising but end up barking instructions at them as they seem to go bloody hyper. Maniacal giggling and generally faffing/winding each other up.

I don't know if iabu to expect them to just get on with it reasonably sensibly!

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ShinyBandana · 28/09/2023 20:39

My youngest DS is 10 and I (or DH) spend 30mins with him at bedtime. It’s our chance to have a chat and a cuddle. We watch some videos or listen to music and when I leave he reads until he goes to sleep at about 9.30.

Only a few months ago his bedtime took 1.5 hrs and one of us had to stay until he went to sleep. It’s a massive improvement but took some doing!

Coffeaddict · 28/09/2023 20:40

Bemyclementine · 28/09/2023 20:38

We do often have a bedtime story, it's the actual getting ready for bed part. I'm still supervising but end up barking instructions at them as they seem to go bloody hyper. Maniacal giggling and generally faffing/winding each other up.

I don't know if iabu to expect them to just get on with it reasonably sensibly!

When my 3 yo gets manic it's generally that he's over tired.would brining bed forward slightly be a possibility?

Newuser75 · 28/09/2023 20:41

Mine have a much bigger age gap but we get them ready one at a time otherwise they mess on too.

Original poster
Bemyclementine · 28/09/2023 20:42

We do have the chats/stories/cuddles. And they're pretty good once they're in bed, they both read til they want to sleep. Occasionally one will come down for a chat.

I'm going to try sending them up to get ready one at a time. And probably earlier, so that when we go up for actual bedtime, we hopefully don't have the silliness.

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Original poster
Bemyclementine · 28/09/2023 20:43

@Coffeaddict honest makes no difference at all. The only difference is if its REALLY late , they don't do it.

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teaandtoastwithmarmite · 28/09/2023 20:44

I think about 8 she did. But Covid ruined her. She was a great sleeper but now at 10 she dicks about in her room for ages. It should be 8-8.30 then read for a bit on school nights and 10 at weekends. On weekends I'm sometimes waiting for her to go to bed so I can 😂. She usually finds something to come in and chat to me about at bedtime or hasn't filled her water bottle up etc. I had to get quite firm with her a few weeks ago about it actually

Original poster
Bemyclementine · 28/09/2023 20:46

@teaandtoastwithmarmite I think it would be easier with seperate rooms but I don't have one spare.

Days like today when I've been at work , school run, quick dinner, swimming etc. I still have to eat, wash up, bath, tidy and so on, I don't have the patience for the dicking about. But then feel bad for being snippy.

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Pippipumpkin · 28/09/2023 21:00

Mine are 6 and 9. My 9 year old could generally manage, although she does get a bit distracted or almost too keen to get into bed, forgetting about teeth etc.
My 6 year old needs constant constant prompting. I left her for a few seconds whilst she was supposed to be putting her PJ's on this evening and found her trying to plug the hoover in.... She completely loses focus at bedtime as she is tired.
I have found that if I send my two up together to do anything they bicker, so I will send them to do different things (e.g. one does wash whilst other reads to me) otherwise it's carnage.
Bedtime takes far longer than it should do though. I get a bit irritable...but then I am tired too.

ellyo · 28/09/2023 21:17

Not sure of your setup but could one of them start off in your room? Two of mine share and there is no way we could ever settle them to sleep at the same time, so one starts off in our bed (usually the one who falls asleep quickest) and then is transferred into the shared room just before we want the room back.

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