How do you calm down a super-active kid for bedtime?

Itsa - posted on 10/27/2010

We just let him tire himself out. Around 8 we get him changed and ready for bed, then he has a bottle and brush his teeth then we rock him to sleep (in his stroller, it's a combi convertible so we can lay him down flat) then we gently put him to bed around 10 when we go to bed. He co-sleeps with daddy (works all day so night time is their snuggle-bonding time).

Maybe try some soft music, wear her in the sling, sing or hum softly with dimmed lights...?

Jessica - posted on 10/26/2010

My daugter is the same way. It used to be that bathtime & bottle were on the top of the list. Now, bathtime usually leads to fussiness at the end because she knows what is coming. By the time I lay her down to put her pj's on she is in hysterics. I have begun turning off the lights & humming/singing. I have also begun talking very lightly to her in the bath & dimming the lights a bit. I have also found that the noise from a fan (pointed in the opposite direction of her crib...out the door) has helped also. I also try to adjust her bedtime based on what her activities were that day. I have found that if it has been an extra active day (playdates, walks, playing outside, the rare occasion of a resturant) that I will put her to bed earlier dispite her level of activity. If I dont it seems like she gets a second wind.

Karen - posted on 10/26/2010

My little 15mo girl is the same. When she's awake, she's on. Then like a switch is flicked, she's tired & cranky falling over a lot & getting upset. What's worked the most is if she gets a good sleep in during the day (used to be 20min when she was a baby & slept well at night, now more like 1-2hrs once or twice a day)
6.30am up & away
7am breakfast
8am outside play if the weather is good then attempts at wind down
9-10am - if she's tired sleep, if not morning tea
12pm lunch
3pm afternoon tea
5-6pm dinner
6- 6.30pm bath & wind down for bed (can take 2hrs)

If she's tired & not going to sleep, we take her for a walk in the stroller or drive in the car (have driven 1hr to get her to sleep - also live in rural Australia so nearest town is 1/2hr away). When she's having teething trouble - most of the last few months - she watches TV & goes to sleep in our arms with a bottle, dummy & her snuggle toy.
When she wakes/stirrs in the night she needs to be cuddled for about 1hr until she's asleep enough to put back in the cot & not wake again.

Michelle Sanchez - posted on 10/24/2010

have you tried a warm bath with some lilac smell and then maybe just a soft music lullaby?

Athena - posted on 10/24/2010

Typically most people feed their child protein at dinner which gives them a huge burst of energy. You might try changing the amount of protein at dinner and do more at another setting. My 14 mo old is a go go boy as well all day long but he seems to be more tired in the AM so we do a nap from 12-2 no matter when he wakes up during that time. That way he has a longer stretch in the back half of the day to tire him out. Our routine is this: dinner between 6-6:30. 7:20 we do the pickup game (pick up toys), then read a book. Bath at 7:30. In bed at 8. Mine has been an early teether and so he has had buddies in bed with him for months since that is what he prefers to chew on. He doesn't want a hold or a cuddle so after the pj's are on I give him a kiss, tell him I love him and drop him in bed and walk away. However, he does NOT have a night light. His daddy didn't want him to have one and then recently read that while they are cute, they actually disrupt sleep and aren't necessary, so he sleeps without one and is fine. And since it is dark, he doesn't get to look at all the cool things in his room for minutes on end.

Tracy - posted on 10/23/2010

Try taking away nap time for a couple days so that she is really tired then put her down give her a bottle to comfort if necessary for a couple nishts and once she learns it's bed time she shouldn't cry as much and will put herself to sleep. Also could try limiting her4 nap time so she doesn't sleep as long also make sure that any naps aren't close to bed time. Could also try playing with her by putting all or her dolls or stuffed animals to bed and stress how you have to be quiet Because it 8is their bedtime so hopefully when you put her to bed you can use that with her. Try and find some way make her bed entidcing like a favorite blanket, toy, or cuddle toy. Could also dim the lights and put on some classical or slow songs and then have her dance with her so it would be slow swaying holding her to relax her. Also could try a stoller ride of wagon ride something that has a comforting movement to it. Hope this helps. Best of Luck.

Zaida - posted on 10/22/2010

Funny enough... as hyper active as my 14 month old son is i dont really have bedtime blues. He wakes up at 6 every morning and doesnt sleep at all during the day, well maybe a 30min power nap at the most but then thats it. Bathtime is at 7:30 and while we do the massage and dressing into pj's hes already laying with he's bottle and practically falling asleep. Between 8:30 & 9pm he's lights out. Good luck with the calming down for bed time.

Mercedes - posted on 10/21/2010

I have a adhd son who is VERY VERY hyper im not willing to put him on medicine so this is how i get him calm and ready 4 bedtime . first you have to relax cause he can sense your emotions we eat dinner bout 6 he plays till about 7ish he takes a bath with the bedtime johnson we go into the living room i explain its "rest time" i sit him on the couch and turn a show on hes not 2 interested in and make him sit with a very dim light on and allow NO playing!!!! 745ish we sit and read calming books with not anything 2 get excited 2 much, about 8 i tell him its time 4 bed brushs his teeth he gets in bed and i sit and explain its time for bed and DO NOT get out of bed kisses hugs i close his dor slightly and he out in 5 10 minutes. When i first started this routine he would get up and come to the living room non stop keep pitting him back back finally he got the hang of it after a few wks. hope this help if all else fails.

Liesl - posted on 10/21/2010

Hello, firstly, relax.... make sure you're not popping any vibes into the comos! Can you identify the different types of crying from your child? Is it frustration crying, pain crying or 'I am so wound up I don;t know any other way to go down' crying? My oldest was very dependant on us to help settle her at nights. by child number three i say 'are you ready for bed?' and off we go. I have a mobile above her bed (she can't reach it folks) and when i lie her down (lamp on) I tuck her toys around her, we blow on the mobile to make it move, lights go out , door closes and she goes to sleep. But this going to sleep with little fuss, took work. I use a gradient approach. After 1 minuteof crying i go in resettle quickly andleave. Then 2 minutes, then 5 minutes then 8 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes (and trustme... by this stage Iam practically on top of the clock willing theminutes to tick faster so i can go back in) but a little strength to begin with doesget results, after 4 nights the new expectation has been set. It's hard work!!!! But it hasn't failed me yet. If your child is ready a simple counting game helped with my oldest. eg: milk lids in an icecream container. Quietly Count them out then count them back in again (over and over) Weused to use pegs pegged around the icecream container - take themoff and put them inside, then peg them back up again. Always quiet, always 'mothodical' and patient. Hope you get some where soon-you must take care of you too, your no good to your son tired. :D

Sarah - posted on 10/20/2010

What I found really helps to get him to rest at night is packing the day full of exhausting activities! I mix things up, so he never expects the same thing every day. Some days we go to the park, other days we go to the mall and play in the kids area with other kids, some days I take him with me to the gym and he plays in the daycare there or other days I take him in the pool with me and play in the bubble pool. Just varying things. Then at night I sit down and feed him a meal, put him in bath time (and I use the Johnson's bedtime bath soap), dress him, we brush our teeth (momma does it first then baby), take him to his room and we read one or two books, then I turn out the light, turn on his fan and we cuddle until he falls asleep. Its more or less getting a routine started and they realize "hey, when these things happen, it means night night time" so hopefully that helps =/

Kimberly - posted on 10/19/2010

I noticed that my 14 moth old will be going and going and going to, But as soon as I get his Bottle of milk arount 8, he comes to lay down, he looks for my hair (I think that is comfort) and falls asleep by the time the bottkle is finished.

The training miight take a while if she is not used to going bed at that time.

Good luck!

Madelaine - posted on 10/13/2010

My daughter is the same way. She gets very excited before bed and bath time and books are super fun time for her. I do it anyways though. We do dinner, bath, massage with lotion (I use the Johnsons calming bedtime lotion, but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference), pj's, play time (which is usually routine play with daddy, some learning activity that we repeat several nights in a row) the I put her in the crib with a bottle and read a few books. I also put stuffed animals in her crib. She will play with them while she drinks her bottle and winds down by herself in the dark. I also play soothing lullaby music while she is going to sleep. I used to have the same problem that I could only get her calm and to sleep by rocking and feeding her, then I would wake her when I put her in the crib. That's why I started putting her in bed with her bottle. She's old enough now that I feel safe doing that. She winds down while she has the bottle, then she goes right to sleep, no problems. Hope something here might help.

Kari Jane - posted on 10/12/2010

My little man is on the go all the time too and even tho we do dinner, bath, bottle he still rarely calms down. He does sleep very well but in the end we gave in and went against everything that is advised just before putting down because our son was asking for that final bit of maddness before bed. Now our routine is Family dinnertime, if its a bath night a bath, into pj's and bottle cuddled up on the sofa and then 5 minutes of happy squealing, giggling and play. Then big hugs kisses and to bed. A quiet calming routine isn't what every child needs. Every so often he does play in his cot till he is ready to sleep but most of the time head hits the mattress and he is asleep!

Staum - posted on 10/10/2010

Its very hard to say depending on age! But my son is 14months old and is superactive from the minute he gets up to the minute he goes down its go Go GO!! I have never been the type of mum to rock my son etc i just dont have the time! Our nightly routine is as follows...hope its of some help!
5:45 - dinner time...
6:15 - bathtime (as like yourself this is a very exitable time)
6:30 - massage with moisturiser (doesnt last more than 2 mins as he wants to be up) and pjs
6:35 - plays on his own...no interaction from me
6:45 - bottle in bed (i get this out once he has fallen to sleep)
In his bed i have 4 stuffed toys that he often plays with and talks to when he is in bed. He will happily play with them for as long as he needs to until he finally falls asleep. My theory being if he wants to play for an hour in his cot quietly by himself so be it but its wind down time for him...i'm not always tired at the exact same time every night and so i figure the same for him...it depends on what that day has brought! There has been times where he has played until 8:30 at night but he's quiet and happy and relaxing! Once i have said goodnight i will not under any circumstance go back into his room and he has learnt this!

Also maybe try not having nap time to close to bed time in the day! (i dont know if you already do this)

I have taught my son not to rely on something to help him sleep (no dummy, rocking, singing etc..).we change it up a bit each night but always the basics above!

Hope this has been of some help!