Bedtime issues with 4.5 yr olds

So my girls wake up around 7:30am or so. Let's assume they don't nap anymore (though they occasionaly do which is nice for them but they don't fall asleep until 10pm or so!). So without a nap we watch tv around 7- 8 or 8;30. By then they're in pjs and washed so it's just bed time. We readh a book or two, tell a story, bring them water. And then of course it's always something else. REALLY hard to settle them down. Now it's 9:15 or so and DH is still battling with them (I'm sick with a major cold).

Do you think we should skip the tv in the evening? They don't watch any during the day so I don't mind the hour in the evening but if it makes them too alert I'll let them watch in the morning instead.

Treats, bribes, we've done it all Well... if DH stays with them in the room they'll fall asleep rather quickly but that's not the point as they've always fell asleep on their own and the last thing I want is to develop a new habit at 4.5.

Thanks,
Ela

 

I'd skip TV for sure, research shows any television before bed can cause excitedness or wakefulness.
But to be honest, I think they're over tired perhaps.
7:30 to rise and not to bed until 8:30 is a long day for a 4.5 I think{?}
My 7 yr old get's up around 7-7:15 but is in bed @ 8 each night and she's 3 yrs older although she doesn't fall asleep until around 8:30. My 4 yr olds go to bed @ 7 on days w/o a nap and are up around 7am.
What I'm getting at I guess is, have you tried an earlier bedtime? Maybe let them watch TV while you prepare dinner or during a snack/dessert and just milk and books before bedtime? Milk's calcium is calming = makes people sleepy.

 

thgis is an interesting article:
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2...-need-more.html

 

My boys are 4.5 also & we are having a horrible time at bed time. I'm hoping it's a phase. They just will not stay in bed & play forever. They are in bed by 8:15. Sometimes they don't fall asleep until 9:30-10. We also watch tv before bed.

 

Just an update. We skipped the tv all day toda and just plaed with pladough and read books. Since one of them had a nap during the day it took her a little longer to fall asleep but the other was asleep by 8:40 which was a win for us. We'll be doing tv only in the mornings in the future.
I hope it will only get beter.
Ela

 

I bet it will! Glad it seemed to work at least once

 

:hug99: Bedtime struggles are sooo hard! With my oldest I got a book called "The Sleep Fairy" and got her little treats for under her pillow whenever she just went right to sleep (little things, like a piece of gum or 5 pennies, etc). This didn't work with my 2nd, as she was afraid of anything (fairy included) coming into her room while she was sleeping.

I agree with probably being over tired. My 4 yr old goes to bed at 6:30 and typically sleeps until 7 or 7:30. I got him to just lay down and go to sleep by shortening our bedtime routine, and then for a short time adding those positive reinforcements. I think the story reading etc was just prolonging the drama of us leaving him, making it worse. So, we ask favorite part of the day, tuck him in and leave now. Our reinforcement was if he had 5 days IN A ROW of good bedtime behavior, he got to go by himself with mom out for ice cream! Now he goes to bed like a dream.