Child rebels against bedtime

If there is one specific step in the bedtime process that just sets your kid off on a tantrum spree - that's what I call a trigger point. It could be taking a bath, brushing teeth or getting on PJs. These seem to be the most common ones.

And it's super frustrating because these are things that MUST happen on most nights.

This is likely a part of the night that everyone has come to expect will be a nightmare. The wrestling match to get on PJs or the always-fun (*heavy sarcasm*) let Mommy shove this toothbrush in your mouth and brush your teeth for you!

Here's a tip for easing this frustrating part of the process... 

Rearrange things.
Think of how you can do things in a different order.

Move the trigger point to a part of the day or evening when emotions are more calm and try and follow the trigger point with something your child enjoys.

Some examples: If teeth brushing is your trigger point, try moving it to right after dinner - before something fun like play time or screen time.

If taking a bath is the trigger point, can you move that earlier in the day? Maybe right after school or right before dinner. There’s no rule saying that baths have to be done at night right before bed. And I like moving bath time because then you can also tackle PJs afterwards. Get it all done before people get tired and cranky!