"I Don't Want To Go To Bed!"
A Parent's Guide To Making Bedtime Fun!
How many parents have heard their children screeching the words “I don’t want to go to bed!”. Yes, every child’s nightmare is bedtime. Every parent in America must endure the same excuses each night that goes something like this, “It’s still early”, “I’m not tired”, “I just started playing”, yes the list can go on forever, and usually does. I don’t know of any children that look forward to going to bed, and how can you blame them.
Children spend most of their day at school, then go home and do their homework or go to their music lesson, have dinner and then have a short time to play before bedtime sneaks up on them. A child’s day is filled with activity, and even though parents are exhausted by the end of the day and ready to wind down, kids still have enough energy to keep going.
According to The National Sleep Foundation (NSF)*, about 69 percent of children 10 and under experience some type of sleep problem. Toddlers (ages 1 to 3) need an average of 12 to 14 hours sleep in a 24 hour period and Preschoolers (ages 3 to 5) need an average of 11 to 13 hours sleep. Making sure children get enough sleep is a common problem for most parents. According to Dr. Rafael Pelayo, MD a specialist from the Stanford Sleep Disorder Clinic in California, he tells kids that “sleep is good for you. Sleep is fun. It’s when you get to dream and you can look forward to your dreams.”
If you’re a working parent, you know that children need to be up early and therefore need to get a good night’s sleep. Another common anxiety for preschool children is their fear of having bad dreams. If a parent doesn’t deal with this fear, it may result in the child waking up numerous times in the middle of the night, which will lead to a restless sleep and a very tired child in the morning. We know that if children don’t get a good night’s sleep then a parent is taking a very cranky, tired child to school which will not turn into a very enjoyable day. A good night’s sleep is essential for a child’s brain to develop, and restore and replenish their body energy.
As a mom of two boys who have exhaustive amounts of energy, I had to come of up with something creative to encourage them to get ready for bed without having to chase them around the house and wrestle them to their bedroom. I wanted to show them that bedtime could be fun and that together, we could make it an adventure to look forward to every night.
*Sleep in America 2004 poll
This is why I came up with the concept of the Dreambook. My eldest son was having bad dreams so he always feared going to sleep and he’d wake up a few times during the night. So I came up with a concept called the Dreambook. I told him that when I go to bed and want to make sure I have wonderful dreams, I open up my Dreambook. Children are quite intrigued with this and the first thing they ask is “Where is your Dreambook?” Then you explain it’s a wonderful place in your imagination, where all your most favorite things can come to life. More importantly, upon introducing the Dreambook the bad dreams never resurfaced.
This is how my book, Dreams In My Dreambook was born. It is a rhyming bedtime story filled with my son’s most favorite dreams. I have shared this concept with many friends who have children under 7 years of age, and the feedback has been extremely positive. They’ve told me that their children often ask them “What’s in your Dreambook?” They’re able to share each others dreams and sometimes turn them into reality. One working mom told me that she discovered that her son’s Dreambook story was for her to pick him up from school. She cleared her calendar the next day and picked him up from school. She told me it was a wonderfully rewarding moment to see the surprise and smile on her son’s face waiting outside his classroom door. She had no idea how important this was to him until he revealed it to her in his Dreambook.
Bedtime is the most precious time of day, because it allows you to cuddle with your child and give them the love and warmth they are so eager to receive. Dreams in My Dreambook encourages beautiful moments of dialogue between you and your child, allowing you to see the world through your child’s eyes and learn more about each other through the process. These are moments you will want to capture and bottle up forever. At least that’s how I feel every time I share a Dreambook moment with my kids. What better way to end the day.
The Bedtime Clock- Establishing a consistent bedtime routine is the key to success:
6:00 p.m. – It’s bath time! Every child loves to take a bath.
6:30 p.m. - It’s last call for a snack and water! Parents need to stand firm on the snack and water rule.
7:00 p.m. – It’s one hour before bedtime! The countdown begins before toys are put away.
7:45 - It’s clean up time! The kids sing along to the “it’s clean up time” song.
7:50 - It’s time to brush your teeth! Let’s brush our teeth and rush to our bedtime adventure.
8:00 – It’s Dreambook Time! The adventure begins with Dreams In My Dreambook – It’s time to read the story and share dreams from your Dreambook.
About Author: Stefanie Nastou is a mother of two boys (3 and 6 years), the vice president of marketing for a global software company, and a children's book author. To learn more about her children’s book Dreams In My Dreambook visit www.angelfacebooks.com. Email: Stefanie.angelfacebooks.com
