4 year old bedtime - driving me insane

[2toddlermum]

Would anyone please share their bedtime routine including sleep time for their 4 year olds? I’m struggling and bedtimes are leaving me feeling so fustrated, my son is overtired and it’s miserable! We currently do bedtime at 7.30 (he’s up at 6/6.30am), but he fights it for hours! It’s a mess of him listening to Yoto/me checking him/lying with him etc. I’m at my wits end to be honest! I feel like his Yoto might be keeping him awake but I also can’t face the bedtime meltdown - he’s an exteme kid! He also wakes in night!

I would start bedtime at 6 to 6.30. It sounds as if you are missing the window and letting him go into overdrive.
You need to start winding down with quiet, calm activities in good time too.

I agree with PP. at least when mine were 4 7.30pm would be too late. I would do dinner at 6pm then off to have a bath and story. Once the story is up I used to stay with my eldest for a little bit maybe 10/15 min and then kiss them goodnight and leave.

Yes, at that age we started bedtime at 6/6.30 with the aim of being asleep by 7.30pm. we did bedtime snack in PJs while reading 3x books (it always had to be 3). Then we would brush teeth, lay in bed for a 5/10 mins chat about the day and then either meditation/relaxing music or white noise to sleep.

If we missed the tired window, he would go hyper and silly and it would take sooo much longer. Some days we could see he was tired and we'd go through the routine earlier and he would be asleep earlier.

Good luck! It's hard.

Start earlier and don’t check on him. Mine listens to his Yoto to fall asleep every night. I just put him to bed and ignore. Your son will be expecting the constant checking now. If he gets up just silently walk him back to his bed, little kiss on the head, and leave.

We've just stopped sitting in with our 4 year old, did a week long tick chart with a present at the end, and I'm not sure the yoto helps either! We're now just offering the sleep radio.

We aim for stories at 7, lights out about 7.30.

We still have night wakes too so you're not alone!

DC about to turn 4 in a few days gets washes and then goes to bed anytime between 7:15 and 8 on a weekend maybe.
They honestly just say night night and get into bed. Now that they share with a younger sibling one of us will sit there for about 5 mins while the baby has a bottle and then 4 year old is usually still awake so we give her another kiss, say night night and go.

Could you try having the yoto end after a certain number of minutes? I use our yoto to not work at nighttime when it’s on moon. Then I say it’s time to come out of the room when it’s sun again.