Child management

None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.

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Gently stroke your child's brow to help them close their eyes and fall asleep quickly.
It helps close their eyes and induces sleep rapidly.
- Older children may recognize the trick and bat your hand away if they do not want to sleep.
one person who lived it
Read 'The Rabbit That Wants to Fall Asleep' to your child.
It involves reading slowly and yawning to help them sleep.
one person who lived it
Tell your child the story of how you met their other parent, but substitute animals for people (e.g., you are a panda, they are a tiger).
One parent found this helped because their son loves stories and hadn't figured out the substitution yet.
one person who lived it
Allow children to read in bed as part of the routine to avoid bedtime arguments.
It eliminates arguments about going to sleep.
- Parents may need to remove books if children stay up too late reading.
one person who lived it
Tell a story based on a movie you know well, casting your toddler as the main character.
Children enjoy the familiarity and engagement, which can help them settle down.
- The child may become so engaged they stand up or demand more rather than sleeping immediately.
one person who lived it

Slow down and soften your voice to a very low, sing-song tone during bedtime routines.
It relaxes babies.
one person who lived it
Use a recurring silly phrase or joke to signal that it is time for bed.
It creates an association where hearing the phrase signals bedtime.
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Sing loudly and poorly along to popular music to wake teenagers who refuse to get out of bed.
It signals humorously and obnoxiously that they are not going back to sleep.
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Read bedtime books slowly, concentrating on each page and pointing out interesting things.
It helps the content get absorbed.
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Yawn tactically while reading a bedtime story to subliminally induce sleepiness in children.
Yawning is contagious and associated with being tired.
- It does not work every time.
one person who lived it