I thought it would be fun to have a thread about nighttime routines with your children. For me it's one of the most enjoyable parts of the day. For us it starts at 6:30 with my 2 yr old daughter. I get her changed into her PJs and she runs into the living room and lays down on the couch. I turn off the light and sit down next to her and rub her back then her belly and then her back again. Eventually she crawls into my arms and I rock her for a bit. This whole thing can take half an hour and is a great way to get her calmed down for bed. When she is heavy in my arms I bring her to her bedroom and lay her in the crib, kissing her as I do so. I put the blankets on her and we wish eachother a good night. Then I come back into the living room and cuddle with my 6 yr old son for about half an hour. I rub his back, his belly, and his head as we talk. We talk about everything from school to friends to making up stories. Sometimes after we're done with that, again it takes about half an hour, we read a book or two. Lately he just wants to play quietly and that's OK. It's what he's doing right now. I love our nighttime routines because they feel like such bonding moments with my kids. I get to spend quiet time with each of them separatly and that means a lot since durring the day I have to share my attention with both of them. Also, I found that they're a great way to help them and myself unwind from a busy day. I can't wait to read about your bedtime routines too! *hugs* Jess
When i wind down with the girls.. They are 8 and 11 not biological. They are my step children, we usually if they are up for a game of cards or boards game we play that while watching tv. while watching tv, my oldest step daughter will fall asleep through a tv episode or partly through a movie. Some other nights we allow her to have the open option to go to bed early and read She reads a 1000 pages a week. At dinner time thats when we all communicate. My lil angels are all family critters . They love games and card games board games anything to do with other ppl. Which is a very good thing in todays society.
