As a parent, it's frustrating when your kid refuses to brush and floss their teeth. It's even more frustrating when your kids simply don't want to get up and get ready for bed when you say, "bedtime!" Many kids don't quite understand the importance of proper dental and basic hygiene, especially at a young age. Here are a few tips to get your kids to establish and adhere to a bedtime routine that won't cause a fight to unfold every night.
Make the Bathroom a Clean, Organized, and "Fun" Place to Be
Now, bathrooms are often the most used but unquestioned rooms within homes. When's the last time you really took a look in your kids' bathroom? Is it clean or is it a mess? Is it organized? Can your kids find the necessary materials and supplies to properly take care of their bodies each night?
Most people want a significantly larger home. In fact, 31% of custom home builders wanted a home that was more than 500 square feet larger than their past residence. However, many people may forget to take the areas designated for their children into consideration. While teens can clean a bathroom, most young kids aren't quite there yet -- and they're the ones who whine about brushing and flossing the most. This causes messy bathrooms that are avoided by children when it comes to bedtime routines. Therefore, making your bathroom a clean, organized, and "fun" place to be will help your children to be more willing to establish and follow through with bedtime routines.
Decorate the Bathroom
In addition to cleaning and organizing the bathroom, adding some decorations may be a good way to make the room more inviting to your children. Wall hangings that include bathroom puns, bathroom or hygiene-related pictures, pictures or paintings to match the theme of the bathroom, or pictures of your family could be wonderful additions. A decorative painting or print that outlines a bathroom checklist may be a great way to get your kids to admire the decor while adhering to the helpful list it provides.
Adding vases of plants and flowers could be great additions, too. 50% of flower shop sales aren't even attributed to a holiday or celebration, and this is because people like to admire the beauty of flowers as well as feel the satisfaction that gifting them provides. Add some beautiful sunflowers to a shelf on the wall of your bathroom and perhaps some calm-inducing plants. These kinds of additions can boost the willingness of your kids to follow through with their bathroom bedtime routines.
Turn Bedtime Tasks Into a Fun Nightly Routine
When it comes to taking a shower, changing into pajamas, taking medications, brushing and flossing their teeth, and overall winding down for the night with a bedtime story or puzzle, kids oftentimes push back. They don't want to go to bed because that means that they can't play or hang out with their siblings or parents for the rest of the night. Turn bedtime tasks into a fun nightly routine so your kids see their checklist in a positive light. Turn on some music, dance around the bathroom together, and make your kids laugh. Remind them of something exciting that will take place the next day. Establishing hints of fun will allow your kids to see that it's not a bad thing the day is over, but instead, it's just time to unwind and get ready for the following one.
Make a Schedule
If you have more than one child, you most likely experience some catfights, temper tantrums, and screaming matches between your kids. Tensions can especially run high if your kids are trying to get the same things done in the same space at night time. To avoid an angry end to the night, make a schedule for your kids to adhere to when it comes to their bedtime routines. While one kid showers, the other can brush their teeth, use the bathroom, and take necessary medications, and then they can switch. If your kids tend to lolly-gag, then give each child a set amount of time alone to get everything in their bedtime routine done. This will push your kids to check everything off in a timely manner.
Accommodate to Your Children's Needs
Some aspects of a child or teen's bedtime routine may require more time. Perhaps you have a child that needs to use a particular machine or have a treatment before bed, a teen with acne who has a specific skincare routine, a middle schooler who is one of the four million people in the U.S. with braces who needs to carefully brush and floss, or a child with a disability who simply needs more time to complete their nightly tasks. Be sure to take these accommodations into consideration if you're going to make a schedule for your children to follow each night. Some kids and teens may feel embarrassed and want privacy away from their parents and siblings. Be sensitive and think about what your kids need from you.
Getting your kids to oblige when it's time to get ready for bed can be a struggle. Take these tips into consideration and see how well your kids can get into the swing of their bedtime routines.
