Tell me your bedtime routine/tricks

HSartteach

L is a great sleeper...when he finally falls asleep.  Getting there lately has been very hard.  We go up, read our books, take a (usually fruitless) trip to the potty, then I try to say good-night.  That's when it all falls to pieces.  He cries and cries for mama.  I leave, but he just stands at his doorway. 

Any suggestions?  This is relatively new...maybe 3 weeks or a month.  I know (or at least I hope) this is a phase and it will pass, but until then, any advice/tricks you try/etc.?

Tell me what your bedtime routine is like.

TIA

jml5q

i don't have any real advice other than to say it's hopefully just a phase. DD was the same way between 2.25 -2.75 yo. it's gotten so much better in the last couple of months. she'll still sometimes try to stall going to bed or come out of her room, but the crying, kicking the door, crazy person is gone. for now at least.

 and wow, how are you 32 weeks already!!! time is flying!

MrsMillerTime

Our bedtime routine is pretty much the same as yours but we're in the same boat these days.  DD used to be the kind of kid you could plop into the crib and she would entertain herself until she was ready to go to sleep.  Lately, she's been "needing" to be rocked pretty much to sleep before she'll finally tell us that she's ready to "go night night" and be put in her crib.

For us, this typically happens after she's been sick - she gets more cuddles when she's sick and it creates a little bit of a bad habit.  I generally just go with the flow (because I like the cuddles, too) and we'll slowly wean from the rocking marathons.  

rssnlvr

Maybe you could try switching the order so that the bathroom attempt happens before heading to the room for the night? It might be giving him a second burst to be in his room, then out, then back in.

Our routine: bath, brush teeth, into room to put on jammies, say goodnight to brother and other parent, then we read two books together (she picks one, I pick one). Then I pick her up and we cuddle in the dark while I sing her two songs (right now, her favs are the Eyes of Texas and Hush-a-Bye) and then we go through the long list of all the people in her life who love her (immediate family, aunts, uncles, cousins, grands, greats, cats, etc.). Then into the crib where I tuck her in, tell her to have a good nap, and walk out.

We spend a good five minutes cuddling in the dark, singing and whispering, so maybe it's that extended wind down that helps. 

balihaigirl

We do bath, brush teeth, read books (usually 3 - he chooses).  I usually leave the books in his bed with him and leave the nightlight on.  He also has one of these and we let him pick the color of his stars every night.  Sometimes he'll quietly flip through his books before going to sleep because he just needs a couple more minutes to wind down. If he gets out of bed or starts to be noisy, we go in there and put him back into his bed and say it's bed time. 

Hopefully your son comes around soon, it might just be a phase.

HSartteach

Thanks ladies.  He has a nightlight, but he gets really upset when we shut off the regular light, so we usually let him fall asleep with it on.  For a while he would just lay in his bed with a book or a car or 2 until he fell asleep.

The potty thing is new--he asks, and I know it's a stall tactic.  I think I will try to do the potty before books maybe.  Maybe he's just not tired and we need to push back bedtime...who knows.

thanks again ladies.

jml5q--I know, I can't believe I am so close.