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

[YanaMumsnet]

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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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Routine is key!

Bath before bedtime was the one that usually worked wonders

Make sure they've been busy during the afternoon especially if they've had an afternoon nap so go on a walk or do some fun activities and then we have a bath, a snack, a story and then chat about what we've done during the day and then into his bed, I stay in his room for a little bit but then he drifts off by himself.

We have a routine. We have supper, then they have a long bath (we have two girls 3 and 6) while I put washing away and tidy up. Then they get into pjs and we have stories. If either I or my husband are working, then we'll read in one of their rooms, or if we're both home we divide and conquer, so they have individual stories.. it's actually a really lovely time of sitting in a chair with them winding down. Then we say a blessing, and lights out. It took a while for us to get them into a routine as babies, but it's been pretty similar since they were newborns!

Routine and consistency

My little one had a favourite sleep toy when he was a toddler. It was one of The Fimble characters soft toys that had a warm glowing light in it's tummy and a soothing musical chimes song that would lull him to sleep.

A good routine, not rushing and white noise.

There are many excellent tips on here and routine is certainly a major one but I found with Lucas that he needed a little light - so blackout curtains are great but if he woke he hated the pitch blackness so we leave the curtains open just a tiny slit and this seems to offer him comfort from the darkness and he is falling to sleep and getting a better quality nights sleep now

This is a really bad story and illustrates just how rubbish I was at getting my kids to sleep and how badly I needed some advice at the time!

My middle child was an awful sleeper, would never get to sleep and bounced round the bedroom every night. The more upset I got, the more it became a game for him. He also woke before 5am each morning.
He also had bouts of eczema until he was about 7 and on his first term at school he had a bad flare up and among other things, we were given antihistamines to calm the itching. But the bottle said "may make you drowsy". And it did. For the first time in his life the child fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and didn't wake until half past 7 the next morning. Every morning. The relief was incredible- for him and for us. The eczema was gone in a week but I continued with the antihistamines until the last drop was gone by which time he was in the habit of sleeping beautifully and became the best sleeper out of all of them.

My advice is- if you're struggling at bedtime, don't let it get to the stage where you're happy to drug your child! Ask for advice. Buy books. Use sleep training aids- there are a lot available these days and you will find one that works for you and your child. It isn't worth putting up with when the help is out there.

Remove all electronic items from the bedroom and they will probably sleep better every night

With both of mine we always had a routine that we followed. They both always had the same story before bed. My daughter had a musical seahorse toy she had on every night before sleep, and my son had a Ewan the dream sheep. I'm hoping that my baby due in December will be a good sleeper like his brother and sister!

Having a routine helps, my nan used to sing to me literally until I fell asleep and I always remember her dedication, although it’s hard for me to find time there’s always time for a story&at least one lullaby..if all else fails a wee drop of whisky in the milk bottle(another tip from my nan!p.s.joke!)

Bath, bottle and book are the best things for getting the LO to bed. I find the routine it essential.

Routine routine routine. Bath, pjs, story and bed. Preferably bed in own room and left to to fall asleep themselves. A favourite toy or blanket to sleep with is always a bonus.

Tea, bath, story and a song before sleep. Seems to work for us. I’m dreading the day that my LO put themselves to bed. I like bedtime best of all.

Mine are 8 & 10 now, so it's a bedtime chat each then quiet reading, I still read to the youngest some nights, then small light on and sleep.

a little bit of classic fm does the trick

Pray! 😂😂 Routine, babies like to know what is coming - bath, bottle, story, bed.

We have had such a nightmare getting my daughter to sleep. I always thought the whole “routine” thing never really worked but.. it really does! She now has a bath, bottle and then she goes into bed with white noise on. It’s a mile away from the challenge we had before when she would scream if we dared put her in her cot. I really do think white noise is a god send. Sometimes we put ocean waves on for her too which she seems to like.

I put my kids in the bath, then we make a hot chocolate & read a story then they’re ready for bed

I think consistency is key when it comes to getting a good sleep pattern. I found that having a set bedtime really helped with getting mine to go to sleep. Also a nightlight because they were both a bit scared of the dark.

We’ve got ds (22m) into a routine. Sort of.

He has a bath (with lots of bubbles and lavender oil to help relax him) then we put jammies on. If it’s a non nursery day he then has dinner in his jammies (we learned the hard way that dinner then bath sometimes results in a poo in the bath...) then we watch an episode of fireman Sam (the current favourite) then upstairs for final nappy change if needed then a story then bed.

He chooses two of his animals to go to bed with him (along with the fave donkey toy).

Definitely a routine when they are toddlers helps get them to sleep as it lets them know what's happening so normally bath, stories and milk then songs in our house! My youngest also has a favourite cuddly toy which she sleeps with which helps too as well as a night light.

I set timers on their devices that turn off the blue light on the screens a good couple of hours before bed.
I personally have found letting them have a drink of squash or water and a healthy snack an hour before bed has helped them sleep because they aren't hungry or thirsty.

Sticking to the same routine.
It may not always be at the same time or in the same place but bath, teeth, pyjamas and then story time and then its sleep time.
We don't seem to get many problems!