What are your top tips for getting your child to sleep? Share with Hasbro’s new Moon and Me!

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Getting your DC to sleep can be a challenge worthy of an award. It can be especially difficult when your children change the way they respond to toys, songs, or any other sleep aids you have in your parental arsenal. To celebrate the launch of their new Moon and Me Toy range, Hasbro would like you to share your tips for how you succeed in getting your child to sleep or what has helped you manage your child’s sleeping habits in the past.

Here’s what Hasbro has to say about their Moon and Me toys:
“Our lovable new toy range features favourite characters from the magical world of Moon and Me. From figures and play-sets that are perfect for playtime to soft plush that little ones will love snuggling with at bedtime! “

What are your tips and tricks for getting your children to sleep? Have you worked out a magic routine, or do you have a favourite sleep toy? Do you rely on sleep songs or other comforters to help you? Does TV make up a part of your child’s sleep routine? Who has a bigger say in picking up a sleep toy - you or your children? Does your DC already have a preferred sleep aid?

Please share your tips for getting your child to sleep below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list) and a toy bundle from the new Moon and Me toy range.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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Having a good routine helps - so shower, supper and then they read to me or I read to them.

Reading helps them chill out and wind down and it's a nice way to end the day.

DS has a comforter bear/blanket thing and when we get ready for bed we have a cuddle and a singsong with bear and then it's eyes closed for bed time. It works well for us right now but it'll probably change one he's in his own room.

I think routine helps, not necessarily strict but just a general bath, teeth, story, bed. Plus they have to be at least a little tired so keep them busy during the day!
My DC have gone through phases of cuddling something at bedtime but have never stuck with the same thing, just whatever they fancied that night.

With my 2 year old I just put her to bed when she's tired. There's rarely fussing unless she's unwell. Quite firm with getting in bed, quick goodnight and leaving. She knows she can shout me if she needs something

DD is 11 now, but the trick to getting her to sleep has always been music. When she was a toddler it was In The Night Garden CD and over the years that progressed to Peppa Pig, Spot Stories, CD books, and now her own choice of music.

She hates the dark, so also has to have a small light on, we have progressed from an actual lamp to fake candles now which give a small glow.

When she was younger I also read to her every night which she loved.

Bath book milk and bed. My little one used to feed to sleep until the last month or so but usually goes down happily and is asleep within a few min. If he's not we have a light that projects stars into the walls and plays white noise/lullabies and that settles him within a few min. Having a routine is great but being flexible if it's not going to plan rather than being stressed about it is key.

Night light and a bedtime story always worked wonders - I usually sat and sang lullabies too :) until fell asleep. TV never ever played a part in bed time routines.

I find putting Classic FM on is very relaxing and I can set it on his arm clock radio to go off after a set amount of time - it is very soothing - I listen to it every night too.

For the first 3 months of his life my dc refused to sleep for more than 1 hour at a time, he also suffocated colic.
The health visitors suggested I implement sleep training which was extremely difficult and heart breaking really. Every time there was crying I had to ignore it for 5 minutes before going into the bedroom, and also dc was moved out into his own nursery bedroom.
After 1 week it finally worked and he began to sleep through.
After that, we never really had any sleep problems as long as a bedtime routine was adhered to. This consisted of a regular bedtime, with a regular lead up to it consisting of being told that we would get ready for bed, having a bath, pjs on, choosing story, getting into bed and having story time and then lights out.
Drink and soft toys were in the bed and door was left ajar so I could hear if dc called, but usually he would be asleep in a few minutes, only waking on those odd times he had an accident.
I realised that blackberry squash was usually the culprit for some unknown reason and when we changed squash flavours it stopped happening.

I was given this amazing book when I had my first baby and recommend it to every new parent. All of my DCs have been excellent sleepers and now that they're older they have good instincts about when they're tired and need to take themselves off to bed. I know I've been lucky and other people have a much harder time of it over sleep, but, honestly, the book rocks.

Singing 5 little speckled frogs while rubbing DS's back works every time.

Now it’s a routine of shower story and bed.
A few years ago it was back-rubbing and singing and always the CBeebies Time has come to say good night song!

The Old traditional way, bedtime stories, read out or invented. And a dim light.

I honestly think some dc are just better sleepers than others.

My first 3 were fantastic sleepers from a very early age. Dc4 will not sleep at all, ever no matter what we try 😫

Routine. Bath fun, gentle lighting and change for bed, sleep song, comforter in the crib. We also use a pacifier.... but must wean her off!

I think a routine is probably the main thing. We stay with our DC until they fall asleep, which some people wouldn't agree with but it means they go to sleep much more quickly, and calm/cotent. We have also indulged some of the quirks they suddenly develop - our eldest would become really stressed about the dark, so we made breathing exercises part of our routine and agreed to leave the landing light on overnight. It's not ideal, but they'll grow out of it and again I'd rather have calm, happy children at bedtime if their demands aren't outrageous!

A good routine and a breastfeed before bed always (nearly always...) gets DD drowsy.

Having a good routine, so bath/story/bed, make sure it's not too hot in their room, make sure they have a full tummy.

bath or shower after dinner and quiet time with books.

Breastfeed to sleep, super easy 🙌 Or books and then lying in the dark making up a story till they fall asleep 😄

I'll keep an eye on this thread! My eldest is a breeze. Dd2 takes ages to fall asleep and refuses to go to sleep. Always says "I need to tell you something" and tells me it's morning time not bedtime...

Routine routine routine! Means DS will go to sleep anywhere - tent, abroad, at friends and families, as he’s used to dinner, teeth, TV, stories and songs happening at the same time, and then bed. I give him a toy to cuddle - it changes - and we put blankets on them and then on him.

What are your tips and tricks for getting your children to sleep?keep calm.try and keep them calm and let a slower atmosphere come into the house as the time for bed comes.
Have you worked out a magic routine, or do you have a favourite sleep toy?i think routine is both important for sleep and nice to have with the kids.so supper.talk/read time.snuggle then sleep.and bath mixed in on those nights.if theyve had a bad day or something has happened whihc might cause a worse night then it helps to put pjs on eariler in the evening to get them feeling better and snugglier.
yes they have a toy/toys!and yes they chose them.though one is from what they were given when a baby.its a bit ragedy but is a fave.and a blanket.
Do you rely on sleep songs or other comforters to help you?if they need it.have one of those nursery tapes.and or little childrens sleep meditation podcasts
Does TV make up a part of your child’s sleep routine?a little yes.jut sitting with us usually.getting some downtime in.not in their own rooms though.
Who has a bigger say in picking up a sleep toy - you or your children? if sensible then of course them.
Does your DC already have a preferred sleep aid?cuddly toy.

I try my absolute hardest to stick to a routine with my youngest, especially now she had dropped her day time nap. So it will be bath,milk then bed. She uses a dummy and always takes a teddy in with her. Having some kind of comforter is very important and she doesnt settle without them. I usually stay in with her for a few minutes until she falls asleep, usually stroking her head. Shes finally sleeping through the night at 21 months, mainly due to not having a day time nap anymore. Its great :)

Routine, a calm environment and luck! I had one who would just drop off no problem and one who would fight sleep with all she had.