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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I wish I knew what worked! My children no longer want to sleep.

I think routine is so important and though we still follow a bedtime routine during the summer holidays I think the mishmash of activities everyday throws them off.

I expect their sleep to improve in September.

Routine, story, music etc. Dim lighting etc. It's taken a long time to get this and I don't win all the time!

We read stories when they're tired and then put them down. Both children have a nightlight.

Seperate rooms even though they share a bedroom, if I leave them both together they play and don't sleep. I put my DD who's 4 in my room with her blanket and night light, and I sit in their bedroom with my DS who's 2 and sit on my DDs bed until he falls asleep, usually takes around 10 minutes then I either let my DD in to her bed to sleep or I leave her asleep in my bed. They are 18 months apart so very close but this routine works for me atm and I don't mind it. We do a story upstairs before we come downstairs and it's just a matter of them drifting off to sleep!

Im not a massive one for ridged routines but I think having a schedule/boundaries for bedtime is really important. I didnt bother with a bedtime routine til my dc were about 3months. Since the have done teatime, bath, story/board game and bed. We limit tv/screen time and there is none after tea. I try and keep things as calm as possible and make sure kids stay in their own beds. My kids both have comforters that they have had from birth which are great for helping them sleep/self soothing. Both have slept through since about 8/9months after some pretty horrendous nights!

Routine is the key. It doesn't have to be rigid and stick the the same timings but doing the same things every night really helps. My children get their pyjamas on, watch half an hour of kids TV, go upstairs brush their teeth, have a small drink of water, read a book or two then snuggle them in give them kisses, cuddles say goodnight love you, sweet dreams. It isn't perfect but it works most of the time. If they don't want to go to sleep straight away they are allowed to read in bed.

A routine is good but in the early days I struggled adapting to change so I’d get frustrated if the routine didn’t ‘work’ because he’d developed and his needs had changed. Now it’s more about keeping the gist of a routine in place but DS has never been the type to wind down at bedtime: he’s either ‘on’ or ‘off’ so even a calming bedtime story is usually read upside down, wriggling around, reading character voices in weird and extremely loud accents. It took me a long time to learn to go with what works for him.

Plenty of exercise in the day really helps. Mine sleep much better when they have had lots of exercise.

Then a good bedtime routine, at a regular time. Ours involves lots of stories usually, although sometimes a child asks to play a game instead or just to chat. Then a little night light as they hate sleeping in the dark and I sit with them for a bit while they settle. When they were little I sat with them while they fell asleep, as it worked for me and for them

DS has had a loose bed time routine from around 3/4 months and I believe starting hem early can really help. Now he is a little older (2.5 yrs) we have changed it slightly so we take more time and time to unwind. After dinner there’s no more screen time so around 1/1.5 hours before bed. If the weathers ok we go in he garden and run around or kick a ball for half hour or so then up for a bath or shower. Teeth are cleaned and then into bed for stories and something my DS calls ‘little boy like me’ where we tell him a story all about his day but replace his name with Steve the pirate! Then it’s kisses and cuddles and bed time. He has a warm night light left on in his room through the night. He’s such a good sleeper now and goes to bed really well and sleeps through waking around 6/7am. The routine helps him burn the last of his energy and the. relax.

I have a song I made up that I sing to each of them before I turn their lights off. My ds is 11 and still insists I sing it to him! When he did have trouble sleeping, I used a lavender pillow spray.

We have a meditation book aimed at children that we read together. I’m not whether it’s the book, or my voice that send them to sleep! It’s a lovely feel good book.

For Us it's all about the routine. So bath, teeth, little play, story time, singalong, tuck in with his bunny comforter. Its all about consistency. We also ha e to have bunny or sleep will not happen for any one

Some kids sleep well naturally. Others will need more help. Don’t beat yourself up if the routine you work hard to try and maintain just isn’t enough.
When they get a bit older (6 -8) you can really talk to them about the effect of poor sleep on them and others. Don’t be shy of giving them a bit of responsibility for making sure they sleep well.
Having a crutch like iPad until they nod off is storing problems up for he future.

Cool bedroom, appropriate clothes for the weather and a peaceful environment. My two year old twins take themselves up the stairs (very closely followed by DH and I obviously) and then we give them their favourite soft toys. Tbh they usually mess around for an hour but they're happy and chatting to each other!

We use meditation stories which sometimes work

Routine and a nightlight.

We do everything exactly the same every night so he knows what happens next and he has his nightlight on when i put him in his cot.

Consistently. Stick to the routine. If they can't sleep then fine but they stay in their room. Don't get sucked into the procrastination!

Routine. An age appropriate bedtime story is a winner too.

Stories at bedtime are important here, but I don't think they particularly help with sleep. I have one child who's a bit of a pain about sleep (although nowhere near as bad as when she was a baby) and one who is no bother at all. They just are who they are.

Not much to share really but will add a comment on anyway as my little girl adores Moon and Me!
Always cuddled her to sleep, from newborn to a now very long 3 year old and it's my favourite part of the day =) I sing or read a story and then cuddle/rock her to sleep. We usually aim for around 7pm but it's never set in stone, whenever she is tired really

My DD has a bedtime routine of teeth, book and bed. She knows what's going to happen so it generally goes to plan!
If she doesn't play ball, we do a bit of Supernanny returning to bed. She understands this means she must stay in bed and we have a gro clock to help with this too.

for DD age 4 we try to have a good routine - we use a story or two and then an audio book/story CD. Also we have no screen time for an hour before bed: it’s not easy all the time but it helps!

DD has had the same routine since she was a week old - bath, story (now reading) in bed. I always tuck her in and say the same bed bugs rhyme - she’s always known it’s sleep time then (not that it lasted long in the early days!!)

4yo wouldn't sleep, was a nightmare to get to stay in bed, took ages to drift off and then would wake screaming several times during the night.

We bought a star night light, which seemed to do the trick for 2weeks. But then it started all over again.

While out shopping, they spotted a dream catcher, and was really drawn to it. So I explained that it caught dreams and passed on the nice dreams when they're fast asleep. We hung it above their bed and not heard a peep for months now.

My 5 year old son needs winding down. A nice night light, favourite book(jack and the beanstalk) and lots of cuddles. And sticking to this routine no matter what. DD is nearly 9 and goes to bed with a book, and never wants to stop reading and switch her lights off.