Mumsnet users share with Moonlite how they get their child relaxed before bedtime

[EllieMumsnet]

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As parents, it’s almost a right of passage to have at least a few nights where your child just won’t settle down for bed. They’re either still a little hyper from the day’s events, they don’t feel like sleeping or they’re just restless. That’s why Moonlite would love to know how you get your child to relax and calm down before bedtime.

Here’s what Moonlite have to say: “Moonlite makes bedtime stories come to life, with full HD story images and in-app sound effects to make the reading experience immersive and magical for children. Feed and fuel children's imaginations and bring back the love of reading through a creative, immersive storytelling and bonding experience.”

Watch this video all about how the Moonlite Storytime Projector can help you at bedtime:

Is it a classic bedtime story coupled with cosying up in bed that does the trick? Perhaps you find having quiet music playing in the background helps them calm down and feel sleepy? Do you try to get them into the same bedtime routine every night so they know when it’s time to wind down? Have you managed to find the blackest of black-out blinds? Or maybe a nice relaxing bath and getting into their cosy PJs tends to help?

However you get your child to relax before bedtime, post on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

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A bedtime routine of bath, story and bed right from when DD was tiny. DD has additional needs which results in her struggling to get to sleep at times so for those days when she is keyed up we use an aromatherapy diffuser with lavender in and a weighted blanket before bed along with white noise

We read... have audio bedtime relaxation stories... nightnights... white noise... we have kids who have trouble sleeping!

My 14 week old DS has a bath with daddy followed by a massage and then we do a ‘body scan’, from head to toe stroking and saying ‘this is my calm head, calm eyebrows ect. A sleepy massage oil on his feet & then feed and white noise to help him sleep.

He does have a star projector he loves and really calms him if he’s over tired

We just cuddle up together in bed. Dd is 2 and we co sleep. She has no patience for bedtime stories, she'd rather just play with her toys for a bit.

I've always made sure we read at least 1 book in bed of my childs choice.
Some nights hehwants wants up to 6, mostly popular kids books. Tonight it was a few pages of Beatrix Potter before he asked me to stop and fell asleep immediately.
I find reading such a lovely bonding time at the end of the day, no matter how good or bad the day went.

Lavender oils help sometimes.

Also we do plenty of exercise during the day time. Always helps send them to sleep. Sometimes I tell them a story or rock them gently to sleep. I have a white noise machine it works. When they were infants they tended to sleep in my arms. I tried giving them both a warm cup of milk but it did not work.

No computer games before bed. Always a bath. Used to be a glass of milk every night until they were around 8. DD falls asleep with fairy lights on, and DS has his door open a little bit. Read a story until they were 10. Often we give them reading time to read to themselves now.

I have 2 boys aged 6 & 3.
We put our PJs on at about 18:45, usually after a bath (& biscuit if they've been good).
We snuggle down under a blanket & read a bedtime story. My boys head to bed around 19:15 & then 19:50.
They sleep right through until around 7am.
I always make sure I snuggle them good night & tell them I love them e dry night.

We have the same routine every night. DS (3) DS (9) bath at 6.30pm DS (3) bed at 7pm teeth and story. DS (9) reads a chapter of his book then bed at 8pm. Works for us!

Reading stories! I have read to them every night from babyhood until way past when then can read any book they likenindependently. It’s about sharing time together, discovering the story together and cuddling up.

We are not super-religious but we do thank-you prayers before bed. It’s normally based on what we’ve seen/done/where we’ve been and who we’ve met that day, so I think it helps DC process the day’s events enough to then relax and go to sleep.

I do the bath (not that calming tbqhwy) and then DH usually takes over with teeth, story and lights out. We found that black out curtains and routine really help, but the bedtime story is the bit we all cherish.

I still read to my daughter every night.

Routine and reading are the key words for us. Our two year old is happy to be left on her own in her cot with a few books. She knows that if she isn't tired, it's fine for her to 'read' on her own till she is tired. Mind you, we also read her stories before. We don't just drop her there and leave!

Mine are older now but when younger we used to follow a really strict routine with them of bath, into pyjamas and then a story in bed. The only time we ever had issues were when we broke the routine and tried to skip steps or do it at different times, they really struggled to settle.

PJ's go on early as that seems to wake her back up, we use that asa trigger to calm down. PJ's on, milk and stories, teeth, a story in bed then lights off, night light on. Sometimes she asks for a song. Most times she is asleep within 10min.

We still read at bedtime, DD is nearly 10 but has dyslexia so much prefers to being read too. She also has lots of audio books so when I run out of steam she will listen to a CD or audible. We also use an aromatherapy diffuser, very relaxing!

bath and story

Warm bath and two stories - one read by mummy and one by daddy.

Now they are older it is encouraging them to have some downtime before they need to sleep so this means phones/tablets switched off. They still follow a very loose routine - shower, snack, bedroom- some kind of settling activity - reading/drawing then lights off and sleep.

DS is 7 and has autism. Routine is the key here. So everyday it is: bath, teeth, bed with reading for half hour. We have a clock with a lit face and low lighting to relax. Also have lavender oil/ cream which soothes.

We have a really set bedtime routine. No tv or tablet in the hour before bedtime. Some warm milk and a biscuit. We play a board games,drawing or puzzle. If its bath night we do that. Then snuggle up and story time. Sometimes dd needs a bit of extra help to sleep so we do a relaxing beach routine to get her to sleep.

About an hour and a half before bed time we start to wind down. Lights lower, no iPads or phones. We draw pictures or read together. After that it's bath or was time then a warm drink such as hit chocolate, milky tea or milk, brush teeth, story and bed.
This method has been the best we have tried for a full night sleep.

Mine are a bit older now (10 and 11) but they settle down with a bath and then reading for 20 minutes.

Mine is 11. We choose hugs.