As you know, when the stars align and we hit that perfect window when our kids are truly ready for bed, the whole process seems to go really well.
However, for many parents this happens less often than a blue moon. That’s because this natural spike in melatonin only lasts about 15 minutes for little ones and then it’s gone! They catch their second wind and then you find yourself jumping through hoops in an hour-‐long bedtime routine: this is where we raise the white flag, succumbing to our own exhaustion, and end up doing most of the work for our child to get them to sleep matters much more difficult in the long run as they become dependent on and eve demanding of these things in the future). But hey, when you’re a tired parent, sometimes it’s all about just surviving that night. I’ve been there with my own four kids! So what cues do we want to be looking for that indicates a spike in your child’s wonderful natural sleep hormones?
• Motions are slower
• Heavy eyelids or just staring off into space
• Less vocal (quiet usually means trouble,but not in this case!)
• A small yawn
• Disinterested in what’s going on around them (they are now ignoring the dog they just tried to hitch a ride on)
• They’re just super chill, man…
Sometimes these cues are really subtle, or we miss them because they’re so chill we can actually go get something done (like go to the bathroom, for example)! Just remember, this is the magic window. Anticipate it and be ready for it. Have your brief and predictable bedtime routine already wrapped up, and lie them down in their bed during this time. You will have less resistance and curtain calls because their brain and body will want to do the sleeping!
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