Let’s talk about bedtime routines with Sky Broadband

[EllieMumsnet]

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The bedtime routine is one that we are constantly trying to perfect, whether it’s our own, our baby's, our partner’s or our teenagers’, it can feel like a bit of a battle of trying to wind down, relax and drift off into a deep sleep for the full 8 hours that’s recommended to us. Which is why Sky Broadband would like to know all about your family’s bedtime routine and how you all try to wind down.

Here’s what Sky Broadband have to say: “As part of our new Sky Broadband Boost pack, we have launched a brand new app called Sky Broadband Buddy, which gives parents the ultimate level of control over their family’s internet usage. Buddy takes parental controls to the next level with its market leading features such as being able to pause your internet and filter sites on devices on WiFi and mobile data You can even keep tabs on screen time by setting regular time limits and bedtimes.”

Do you have a family rule of no screen time an hour or so before bed? What are your teenager’s sleep routines? How do you battle with the late nights and early school mornings? How about yourself? What helps you get to sleep and what time do you go to sleep? Is it story time before bed that really help your children wind down? Or what about your partner, do you try to sync into each other's sleep routines?

Whatever your tips, tricks and experiences are of your family’s sleep routines, share them on the thread below and you’ll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

My DD6 and DS2.5 share a room so we have to have a bedtime routine to ensure DS is asleep before DD goes to bed. Every now and the DS is awake and there is sn almighty carry on. To ensure this is a rarity we dropped DS naps about 6 months ago. Now that summertime we try to get kids fresh air before bed.
Me and DH have absolutely no routine and have pretty bad bedtime practices...its something to think about!

NO ipads in bed

• bath before bed-

book and then sleep ...hopefully

Our children are still very young, so our routine is: dinner, story, talk about our day, toilet, bed.

Is like to say that as adults we have a good wind down routine, but in reality we're both still working late into the evening/night and then straight into bed and sleep (which I don't get enough of!)

Baby - bath, story, breastfeed to sleep.

4 year old - bath, teeth, story and then he reads in bed for a bit

7&8 year old get showered earlier on then usually just sit and watch tv until their bedtime. They are allowed to read/watch tv in bed if it's not a school night.

Me & dh tend to just get all of the kids to bed and then collapse on the sofa until we find the energy to drag ourselves to bed.

We start winding down for bedtime around 6/6.30pm - this will mean running a bath on bath nights, or playing some quiet games together.
My son is less interested in TV than he used to be, so this isn't an issue anymore. He prefers 1:1 time than TV or screen time, the challenge is ensuring the game he wants to play is a chilled one - not pillow-fighting or wrestling, which would always be his number one choice!!
He'll head up to bed around 7/7.30 & we'll read with him until 8.00. I find storytime is a really good time for me to wind down too.
On occasions where he my son has had screen time/watched TV late - it's always a lot harder for him to wind down/get settled so we try & avoid it where possible.

Bedtime involves a cuddle and a book for our littlest one and reading time or the eldest. Generally DH does the heavy lifting because at that stage in the day I like some peace too!

Our is nag, nag, nag... Nag more. Check in on bedroom. Nag about devices. Shout. Plead. Lights off.

A warm bottle of milk and a book read together in the rocking chair always works for my 16 month old son.

It's all down to a routine, bath at six and pyjamas on, CBeebies with a drink, teeth brushed, lights lowered, and if not too tired a bedtime story. My DS1 has a blanket for bed with 'a sleepy smell' which helps him settle.

we try to wind down, if it's nice day, we will go for a walk (winter or summer) . you cannot beat fresh air. If the weather is no so good we will read, or put on the tv, and watch a some television, we love cartoons and where stories are read, nothing too loud and energetic. I will draw the blinds around 7, and it's bed for 8 or 8.30, and 9 at weekends where we will watch a movie with popcorn or snacks, and depending on the length of the movie and teeth brushing would depend on the exact time head hits pillow.

Lavender spray on a pillow for all of us

Screen time finishes at dinner time. Family dinner always without TV.
So dinner maybe a little play time then brush teeth, snuggles with stories and prayer in bed before (fairy) lights out.

I love the idea of sky bedtime buddy, I always have 'can we have 5 more minutes' which turns into 10.15 etc. I would certainly make use of this, then screen/youtube time is fixed and once installed cannot be negotiated with like us parents.
My bedtime routine is more of a battle, and negotiating, the older they get the more excused they can come up with.
Reading this makes me think I need to really set the boundaries and stick to them with regards to bedtime,

Our routine is pyjamas, teeth and then DD has 20 minutes screen time followed by a story. It can be hard to get her to stay in bed so am going to try some of the tips on here (must get some lavender spray!). I'm definitely interested in being able to set a screen bedtime limit too as DD always asks for more screen time and I'd ideally like her to have less.

DS (8) doesn't have devices upstairs

We stop screen time about half hour to an hour before bed depending on the day (school day/weekend etc)

Usually shower, supper, reading and sleep! I read to Dd (6) or she reads to me and DS (9) reads for an hour or so in his room.

We usually pop them into bed about 7.30 and Dd will be asleep by 8 and DS by 8.45

Bedtime routine for the DC is bath, reading then sleep.

For me, it's watch something on TV, then read, then bed.

My daughter isn't quite 2 yet but we have quiet time before bed. She likes a bath, a cuddle and some milk. We make it into 'night mode' which is blinds and curtains drawn which usually gets her asking for bed.

My children range from 1-16.

The youngest goes to bed when we do so very little screen time.
The 7 and 12 year olds have their internet blocked on all devices at 8:30-8am during the week and from 9:30pm-8am during the weekend.

The oldest at 16 has no restrictions and gets down to all work and exams without argument.

At weekends we do try to go out once as a family mainly walking in national parks but it doesn't always go to plan.

We had to buy software for us to monitor and restrict internet usefulness but it is quite expensive.

I would be very happy if their was a simple app for me and my husband to do this.

My child is still too little to have much screen time but I am becoming aware that the kind of TV they might watch close to bedtime could affect their mood and how easily they settle. They are starting to process a lot, and things from stories and stuff they’ve heard at nursery is starting to make it into their dreams. We spend about half an hour reading before bed, which I do think helps them wind down. We also say prayers. When they get older and have their own phones, iPads etc, I do think we’ll probably discourage having those in their room during the evening.

Our routines fairly loose. Neither of my boys seem to need much sleep! Generally we read a few books and my eldest reads a school book and if he's still awake once the littlest is asleep I let him watch something on my phone. On a good day they're asleep by 8 on a bad day my eldest can be up as late as 10 😬

3 Teenagers all still do some form of bath book bed and we did that from about 7 months old..they didn't have a bedtime untill that age.

Gosh, everyone so sensible here. Mine are 10 and 12 now. They have Woodcraft Folk most Tuesdays, football most Wednesdays and a library Chess Club most Fridays, and DS2 has a swimming lesson Saturday morning which I keep trying to remind dp means leaving the house earlier than on school mornings so DS2 still needs to get to bed not too late on Friday.

The routine is that they have a bath or shower,. and I'm trying to encourage showers for speed but with limited success, and then go to bed where no screens but they can read whatever they like. DS2 often falls asleep quite fast but DS1 has started to read really really late and I think we might have to clamp down and persuade him to go to sleep. They currently sleep in the same room (DS2's room which is much bigger) on the floor (their choice) although they do now have a bedroom each since we had a loft extension over 2 years ago and my sister bought them lovely beds that they chose from a catalogue! Before that they had bunk beds in a very small 1st floor bedroom next door to dp's and my room.

No screens after bedtime though we don't have a rule about before bathtime. No playing computer games on PCs/tablets/dp's old phone on our broadband (no contract) on school mornings either.

I'm a night owl and not working at the moment but need to get myself into a new routine ready for returning to work very soon, hopefully autumn this year now.

I think DP needs to go to bed earlier than at the moment as I'm sure he's not getting enough sleep, and probably needs to be surgically separated from his Iphone at bedtime too. I've tried to persuade him that he shouldn't show the kids videos when they're in the bath, that it distracts from the winding down vibe etc, but I'm not sure I've really got through.

We have been trying to have a no phones an hour before bed rule. It's working mostly.
My eldest has been sneaking his away though.
Mine always have something to eat, a quick shower and then reading.
It's the same for me. I really think no screens and reading is a great wind down and a good bedtime habit.

My girls are 6 & 8. We try to be a little bit flexible about the bedtime routines now they're a little bit older, but generally we switch off screens by 7 latest, bath (if they want) by 7.30 and in bed for 8, followed by reading/being read a bedtime story. Both settle with a nightlight and listening to music (usually Fun Kids). We allow a slightly later bedtime during the holidays, but we usually stick to this general routine.