There are so many transitions built into a family’s day. For children, this may include the shift to getting dressed, leaving the house, stopping play, finishing projects, cleaning up, coming to the table for meals, going upstairs for bath and settling in bed for sleep. All of these steps can have small transitions within which … Continue reading Transitions Can be Easier
Most children shift to two naps sometime in the first year and then down to one longer nap sometime between 18 months to two years old. Many children give up naps on their own between three and five years old. Before they give up naps all together, many young children go through phases of not … Continue reading Tips for a Better Naptime
Question: Dear Dr. Rene, I have a two years and eight months old girl. I nursed her for 18 months. After that point, I slowly have faded into the background. If daddy is around, I am out. I can’t give her a bath and put her to bed without dealing with tantrums about why daddy … Continue reading When a Child Prefers One Parent
Chapter books can be a great addition to your read aloud time as early as three to four years old. If you already read picture books before bed, the easiest way to introduce chapter books is to finish your picture book and tuck them in like normal. Then, when you would have been turning out … Continue reading Ideas for Introducing Chapter Books
Here are a few reminders to help with your bedtime routine: Same place, same time, same order every night – The more routine you have, the better. In our house, it was and is bath, jammies, teeth, story, bed. As they’ve gotten older, we changed from us reading aloud for 20 minutes, to us for 20 and them … Continue reading Bedtime Routine Tips
I remember with my older daughter Alicen, the night she realized she could get out of her toddler bed, she was up something like 42 times in the first hour. I know, it can be infuriating. There are many options to keep them tucked in at bedtime. The mantra – This is where you summon … Continue reading 6 Ways to Get Kids to Stay in Bed
When they are done consistently overtime, bedtime routines can help children to fall asleep easier. Being structured can also help reduce the push back and power struggles that are common around this time of the day. Here are a few general guidelines. Same time, same place, same order every night. For a long time in our … Continue reading Bedtime Routines
There are a few daily routines that unite us all as parents. Those times of the day we all face include bathtimes, mealtimes and bedtime routines. While it may go well for some on most days, others barely struggle through. Here are a few of my tips to help settle the bedtime routines: Same time, … Continue reading Bedtimes
Parent Question: My three-and-three-fourths-year-old doesn’t want to nap. It takes her time to fall asleep when she does nap, both at bed time and naptime. When she does nap, I would say that, on a 24 hour period, she sleeps 10-12 hours. How much sleep should she be getting in a 24 hour period? How … Continue reading Nap Time Question
Dear Dr. Rene, I have a three-year-old who recently started having bad dreams and would come into our room in the middle of the night. If I didn’t fall asleep, I would put her back in her own room. Now she’s afraid of her room saying there’s ghosts in there, is afaid of the dark … Continue reading Scared at Bedtime
Parenting by Dr. Rene 