Over the last few weeks, Jason and I have been adjusting the boys bedtime routine. We used to give them a bottle, rock them until they were limp and put them in bed. It was certain that in 20 minutes the crying would begin, which was followed by more rocking until they were limp, which was followed by more crying... you get the sad picture. This cycle would go on until about 11pm. So at the turn of the year, we got brave and decided to be the parents and get in control of bedtime!!!It took about 3 nights of tears, but now they go to bed quickly and don't wake up until morning! They are counting sheep from about 8:30pm until about 8:00am. So with all the crying came a more clear bedtime routine. Now we drink a small cup of milk, brush our teeth, take a bath every night, read 3 books, say our prayer and have a quick rock before laying down awake in the bed.
I have an affinity for children's literature! I guess it is the teacher in me coming out. The boys have a ridiculous amount of board books and we read them all the time. They will sit for 20 minutes or more just looking and pointing at books. It warms my heart!
Every night we have been letting each boy pick a book and we pick one book. THere is always at least one Bible story in the mix. I hit the jackpot at Dollar Tree for Bible board books. Som eof our favorite bedtime stories are... The Going to Bed book by Sandra Boynton, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise BRown, Chugga-Chugga-Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis, I Love you Through and Through, Brown Bear Brown Bear (really anything by Eric Carle!) and the list could go on forever.
What are your kids favorite bedtime stories? What is your bedtime routine?
5 comments:
Both of my children have loved Jamberry by Bruce Dern and God Bless Me by Helen Haidle, we also enjoy all of the ones you mentioned. I'm such a sucker for books -- they both have shelves stuffed FULL of books. And they both love to sit and look at books.
We are book people as well. One of Layton's favorite bedtime books is My Daddy and I by PK Hallinan He also likes Eric Carle books and our Bible stories books that has peek-a-boo flaps.
congrats!! we loved Boynton books too. and so many others....this sounds like a perfect routine, for boys and mom and dad too!:) it was so much easier when they went to bed earlier and we had our own time too...
I love the Going to Bed Book! But I still don't get why they exercise after they're all cleaned up for bed...
Right now H is really into Corduroy and Knuffle Bunny (both 1-2) right before bed, but we go through phases of favorites!
We always read like a zillion books before bedtime too. We try to check out books from the library, so we can vary it up a bit, but 'Horton Hears a Who' and 'Horton Hatches an Egg' are favorites with Ashlyn. Layton always liked 'Goodnight moon' and 'Love you forever'.
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