Changing bedtime routines - would it help?

[Lifeinagoldfishbowl]

Please help me to work out whether a change to our bedtime routine is what we need.

DC 2.4 does the typical tea at 5.30 bath at 6 tv at 6.30 bed at 7 routine - always has done.

DC is finding it hard to settle at bedtime and always has a list of demands as to what he wants/needs ie drink/blanket/toy/mummy/hugs etc etc and I am pondering whether this is just attention seeking at it's best

DC is in full time childcare between 7.30 and 5.30 each day so know it is partly craving attentiona and also manipulation and showing whos boss

I was wondering whether changing the bedtime routine to a more flexible tea at 5.30 and then free play/attention of mummy until 6.30 bath and straight to bed might lessen this as he will have had 1 hour 30 minutes of pure attention rather than tea, a bit of attention in the bath, a bit of attention in front of the tv and then bed?

Do you think this would work? Has anyone else tried this? How do you think he would take the idea that there is no tv in the evenings and he goes straight to bed after a bath?

Please help

Why don't you let him watch tv before tea, then play with mummy, then a nice, calm story with his bedtime drink, then sleep.
I think that having tv, albeit the bedtime hour, will keep his brain overactive just before sleeping. I'm sure that to spend more time with you before bed would perhaps be more preferable to him. Even if it means him having a half hour later to sleep at 7:30, might mean he drifts off more easily. Perhaps he needs more time to relax after such a busy day at nursery.

Thanks Lucie

It might help if tv is before tea and bath. For our DC we found that TV/computers straight before bed resulted in them being full of energy and in no mood for sleep!

Our DC routine is:

7pm - upstairs for bath/shower, teeth and face, pj's on etc,
7.30 - 'choose time' (where they get to do something on their own in their room, such as colouring in, lego etc, (the faster they do bath etc the more choose time they get too.
7.45 - then bedtime story or two
8.00 - bed.

The above times are for DD (5). DS (7) has the same routine just half hour later - he gets to go bed at 8.30.

Our bedtime routine has been the same for 2-3 years now and whilst we might be a little flexible on the timings, the routine/steps never change no matter what - as we have found the slightest change has resulted in anarchy.

I like the idea of choose time joe