Sleep advice needed now.

[falcon]

I've just remembered another issue that we;ll have when we care for my friend's 3 year old ds for 5 days.

He doesn't have a bedtime routine, he is put in his pyjamas but is usually allowed to fall asleep in front of the tv regardless of the time.

Now she is a very loving mother, I'm not trying to say she is a bad mother, though I generally don't agree with her parenting choices, and I know I'd be far from a perfect mother.However I'm not having a 3 year old up at 10,11 o'clock both for his sake and mine.

What's a good bedtime for a 3 year old? And will it distress him too much if we put him to bed at a particular time and don't allow him to fall asleep in front of the tv as he's used to doing?

I have a feeling that this kid will soon learn to hate me.

My 3.6yo was on his way to his bath at 6.15, and in bed with lights out at 6.50 this evening - although we have just stopped him having a nap - when he was having a nap he was in bed with the lights out by 7.30. Hope this helps - good luck.

TY very much.

I'm beginning to wish we hadn't volunteered to take him now, he's a lovely little boy but I'm worried that we'll confuse/traumatise him as we'll do things so differently here.

TBH he'll probably like having boundaries!

Make it all exciting,say you do things differently and he can have a special treat such as Hot chocolate etc.

We do Tea,Bath,Drink,Story-time and (Daddy does "Tiggle-time")and then Lights out and sleep.

I'd rig up some sort of Night-light,for security and safety if he gets up in strange surroundings.

Try and make his "room",more child friendly,with "temporary" decor,such as a poster of Bob the Builder or something.

My DS and DD1 like to listen to a story tape whilst they are in bed.

Shameless bump.

Falcon My three all go to bed at about 7ish on a week night. Tv for half an hour ish while I get stuff ready, bathtime (starting from about 6ish), storytime (for the 3 year old and the 4 year old) and then bed. No messing about! They know the score and know that once in bed they stay in bed - we get the odd curtain call but nothing more than that.

I think you should do what you feel is right. Tell him it is different in your house and he can have some tv before but then he goes to bed. I think you may have problems the first couple of nights but by the end of the week he will have got it. I agree get him a nightlight (both mine need some sort of light but I refuse to have the normal lights on like it is daytime as a friend of mine does!)

I don't think he will hate you at all. He is probably direly in need of some more sleep by the sounds of things.

My 3 yr-old goes to bed at 8 but often can't get to sleep and plays in her bed with a few toys or books, then puts them on the floor and gets under her blanket. She has a low light on. Would something like that work?

A different house, a different routine. He might actually feel more relaxed in bed away from you.
Do you have children? If he goes up with them then he might just fall in with it as something different away from home.

knacker him out by running around a lot outdoors in the afternoon, followed by a big meal and long splashy bath.. then worst case scenario is he falls asleep on couch, but at 8 pm at the latest..

Mine goes to bed at 8.

If I want to trick him into bed earlier I start telling him that it is later than it really is, but I guess this only works if he has a set time.

Prehaps you could tuck up at 8 and leave the little sod up to turn the lights out.