Sleep routine. Book story too exciting

[TheSkiingGardener]

We have managed to get DS into a good nighttime routine, but there is one bit I really want to change. At the moment instead of being read a bedtime story, we watch In The Night Garden and the story on CBeebies. He's 8 months and while this is wonderful as he drops off after that (after one or two put downs, he tends to stand up in his cot and grin at the first efforts) I really want to be reading him a bedtime story. Whenever we try however it just gets him excited. As in, standing up bashing the cot rails and babbling excited, or crawling round the bed excited and he just won't settle down afterwards.

Any ideas to get him to relax to his bedtime story, I would much rather read to him than have CBeebies do it!

We have an 8 month old DD and find that reading her story in the living room, sitting in our laps, helps to settle her for bedtime...might be worth a try :)

That's a good idea. Will try that after current routine and gradually replace.

Thank you

You don't need a book, of course. You can make a story up with toys or gestures (go with traditional fairy tales if you're stuck for ideas) and that might be less exciting than a book with big colourful picture.