The Procrastinator

Procrastinating at bedtime is a common ploy of young children. The more children we raised, the more we observed that children do what they do in order to meet their needs. Unless they are angry or have a distant parent-child relationship, kids don't use bedtime ploys deliberately to annoy parents. There are three reasons why children don't want to go to bed: fear of going to sleep, not wanting to be separated from parents, and wanting more "quality time" with their parents. Because of changing lifestyles, rigid bedtimes are not as common or as realistic as they used to be. Decades ago, when most families lived in rural settings, the family got up early, worked together most of the day, and went to bed together early in the evening. Because today's parents are so busy and often do not have much time with their children during the day, children put their bid in for prime time with mom and dad at night. The before- bed hour may be the only time during the whole day she has your focused attention. If so, relax and enjoy it with her. Unfortunately, this is difficult for parents, since in the late evening children are tired and not the most fun to be with, you're tired, and you would like some couple time or time just for yourself.

Children are especially prone to procrastinate bedtimes following a family upset, such as the arrival of a new baby, change of daycare or caregivers, or one or both parents returning from a trip. It's unlikely that your child is being stubborn or disobedient. Most likely she is just angling for more time with you. Take this as a compliment, yet there reaches a point when your child needs to go to bed and you need some time for yourself.

Sleep is not a state you can force a child into. It must naturally overtake the child. Here are some suggestions on creating a sleep-inducing environment to help wind down your wide-awake child and save some evening time for yourself.

• Use an alarm clock or stove buzzer to signal "bedtime in five minutes." Or, use an egg timer: "When all the sand hits the bottom, the lights must go out." Your child may get tired of watching the sand fall.
• Begin the bedtime ritual earlier, say around 7:00 p.m. Avoid activities such as wrestling and exciting play after this time.
• Develop a consistent bedtime ritual, such as a warm bath, a back rub, a soothing story, and gradually dim the lights. In fact, one parent can gradually be dimming the lights as the other parent is winding down the child. Whichever parent doesn't get the children up and going in the morning should be the one to put the children to bed at night.
• Try the back rub game. "Plant a garden" on your child's back using different touches for different foods that your child selects. Gradually lighten your stroke as you smooth out the garden.
• Lie down with your child as you read the story and remain there until she is sound asleep.
• Have a continuous tape recording of your child's favorite bedtime stories, which can be used if you are unable to do the full ritual that night.
• If your child still procrastinates, choose bedtime stories that you enjoy, ones you don't mind reading over and over again. Expect your child to plead "read it again." Choose books that emphasize sounds that are repetitive, rhyming, comforting, and lulling. Make up your own stories. A story that has gotten many of our little bedtime procrastinators to sleep is telling them fish stories from my boyhood past: "I caught one fish, two fish, three fish…" Usually by twenty fish, one of you will be asleep.
• Some children have trouble going to sleep because they are not truly tired. Providing an hour or two of outdoor exercise may tire him out and set him up to relax as bedtime approaches.
• Watch a tape together. On nights when you feel low on patience, videos may be helpful to wind down the child who fights sleep or to pacify the bedtime procrastinator. Choose a calming video that you can enjoy together. Then you can snuggle up together, giving your child bedtime closeness without expending a lot of energy. Many nights when Matthew was three to four-years-old we snuggled together in a bean bag and he dozed off to LADY AND THE TRAMP.

The way your child goes to bed is more important than when he goes to bed. If you are a busy family and don't have much time with your child during the day, a later bedtime may be more realistic. Yet, children do better when they have consistent bedtimes rather than sometimes staying up late and other times being put to bed early.

It takes me an hour to put our four-year-old to bed. She finally goes to sleep, but by this time I'm too exhausted to get anything else done.

Get behind the tired eyes of your child. First, take your child's bedtime attachment to you as a compliment. She likes being with you and doesn't want to give up the delights of the day.

Consider if your child needs more attachment rituals during the day. Children seem to recognize they benefit from a certain amount of touch time each day in order to thrive. They learn very quickly that bedtime gives them this opportunity. Try to give your child the attention she craves during the day.