Kids keep getting out of bed

[lyssie29]

Recently bedtime has become an absolute nightmare. My kids are 6 and 4 and from being toddlers they've always gone to bed great and never got up. In the past few months they each get up out of bed between 5 and 10 times. I'm a single mum and this means I'm spending the best part of my night telling them to go back to bed. Reasons go from wanting another drink to wanting a hug and everything they can think of in-between. I don't know why they've started doing it but I'm starting to get very frustrated with it and at the end of my tether. I've taken away treats and screen time. They still do it. They don't seem to care. What can I do? It's draining me and means I get no time to myself on the evening which is all I have.

Are they tired? If they are getting older and haven't moved bedtime later then that might be impacting. Also, in the winter kids don't tend to get as much outdoor time or activity which can impact on their tiredness levels and on their sleep pattern.

Are they having a good wind down before bed? A bath can help (although it just makes mine hyper) otherwise a wind down activity like a board game (a quick one!) or some reading together or some colouring or Lego. We sometimes do crafts before bed, or puzzles.

You can get ahead of their demands by letting them take a no spill water cup or water bottle to bed, putting an extra blanket at the foot of their bed, asking if they have all the teddies they need etc. Leave and then five minutes later come back in yourself and ask if they definitely don't need to go to the toilet and then give them one big extra kiss and cuddle goodnight. One of mine was getting up a lot until I went back to tuck him in an extra time and that seems to have helped.

I offer mine supper before bed, a snack, sandwich, cereals or toast so they definitely are not hungry.

I hope you find something that works!

They seem tired but not overly. They do like to sit for a bit after lights out and I hear them playing with their teddies but usually they quieten down after half an hr. Every night we read 2 books. We actually had a good 3 hours out today even though it was freezing we went for a woodland walk and they were shattered from it. That was in the morning though. I'll make sure tomorrow night they have everything before I leave them and go from there I guess. Sometimes they're getting back out of bed before I've even left the room.