How do you help your baby and school aged children to sleep better/longer?

Ambien? Note: I don’t have children. I didn’t realize you have kids @flo.

Routine. I worked in daycare and I can tell you from experience with children from all different homes that routine is what eventually sets the pattern for sleep. Eat at the same time each day, and everyone showers before a certain time and then do something relaxing. Like reading or watching a show with the family before bedtime. Dim the lights in the evening and don’t eat anything too heavy and avoid caffeine products. No cell phones and not computers or tv’s on in the bedroom. Bedroom is just for sleeping.

From experience, unleash the little criminals on the great outdoors where they can run themselves to exhaustion. That way they can destroy the local wildlife and perhaps the property and peace of mind of your neighbors as opposed to your own. This is best accomplished through seeking parks, beaches, etc.—venues where you are unlikely to be identified, therefore unanticipated. Park your vehicle with the license plate obscured and pointed toward the open road in a direction free of stop signs and traffic lights in case of the requirement for a speedy escape, turn the kiddies lose and observe (if necessary) from a distance where you can posture yourself as annoyed as the other adults at the destructive instincts of the heathen gypsy children. Clearly this remedy is available only once per neighborhood.

Routine. They went to bed at 8:00. Two stories, a song and prayers.

You read this book

Do you have kids @flo?

…little kids?

I was going to say what others have already said. Young children need structure to their day; a time to get up, a time to walk to school, a time for lunch and tea and a time for homework and play or dance classes. By bedtime they are ready to fall asleep. I used to read them a story which was also part of the routine.

I think all of the above plus a white noise machine. I had problems sleeping as a child and I know a white noise machine would have helped me. I use one now and it travels with me.

I think the biggest problem is on Sunday night (Monday night last weekend). The kids are allowed to stay awake until adult bed time and then readjust after the weekend is over. My daughter’s kids seemed to take it in stride. BUT I must admit we did not see them on Tuesday morning before we left.

Had the kids change into PJ’s, get their blanket off the bed to wrap up in while watching a planned movie with pop corn and while the last few commercials were on had them brush teeth and then watch the last part before going to bed.

It was a regular thing ( baths were taken earlier before in order to be set up for enjoyable evening.

other days took them bike riding, making kites and flying them, picnics, playgrounds, close by Mall for food court tasting, Movies, shopping.

Took them with me ( no car) walked to grocery store (one block away)and gave them each a portion of the list of things that we needed, each knew by then what brands to pick and it became a game of who can finish the each list first.

Other times put the sprinkler on and they ran through it on hot summer days, blowing bubbles and so on.

Once a month saved up for a dinner at a fancy restaurant ( for us anyways) to teach them how to behave in a good restaurant and taste new foods.