Can we talk kids and bedtime? Are your kids
bedtime stallers? Honestly, we generally go upstairs around 7 to start bedtime
and sometimes it seems like FOREVER before Mr. Fix-It and I come out of their
rooms with sound asleep babes. Sometimes we meet each other on the upstairs
landing doing the swap-a-room between the kids bedrooms.
Generally, the
beginning part is all good. Jammies - Teeth - Books
“Please five more minutes” “I have to pee” "My eyes just won't close. They want to be awake" “I'm thirsty” “Can I have a snack?” “I can't find my binkie" "My blanket is falling” “It’s too dark”
“One more kiss”
The first stall tactic in any of those
combinations is okay but usually by the second, third and fourth ones, I’m
wondering how these little kids mastered such good negotiation skills?! As you know, I'm part of the Netflix Stream Team and I wanted to share with
you a genius thing that Netflix and DreamWorks Animation have created. Genius!
AND it’s been amazing for our bedtime routine.
Enter in...Dinotrux 5 minute “Favourites”.
So, before lights out we push play on an entire episode and 300 seconds later, the kids feel like they've watched a “show” and Mr. Fix and I have more time to binge watch our own Neflix shows :)
Honestly, I love the bedtime cuddles but when you go up for bedtime at 7 and not out of the kids' rooms until 9…BRUTAL! These new 5 minute shows have been a dream. They know that the shows are short but at least it’s a whole show and not just a little piece.
I thought some of
these stats that Netflix found were pretty cute:
· Brazilian kids are the best bedtime negotiators. Parents in Brazil are most likely to say their kids’ stall tactics
“frequently” work (52% vs 44%, on average globally),
· Mums and dads in the UK lure kids to sleep with bedtime bribes: Although they are reluctant to admit it, a third of parents in the UK
say that one of the quickest ways to get their kids into bed is a bribe (33%
vs. 28%, globally); with the chance to stay up later on weekends (30% vs. 29%)
and food or snacks (21% vs. 18%) among the most popular tactics used.
· Australian parents least likely to bend the bedtime rules: Parents in Australia are among those most likely to say they never
make compromises to get their child into bed (26% vs. 21%, globally).
· Warning to Canadian kids--don’t try anything cute: Parents in Canada are significantly more likely to disagree that
their child's stall tactics can be too cute or so clever that they give in and
let them stay up past their bedtime (61% disagree vs. 51 globally).
· Bedtime in France is a dream come true. Not only is
France the No. 1 country where kids get to bed on time most days of the week
(5.1 days per week in France vs. 4.8 days a week globally), but parents there
also spend the least amount of time getting them to bed (12.3 minutes vs. 17.5
average).
· The US is the biggest bedtime battleground. American kids are the most likely to try creative stall tactics (66 % vs
61% average globally), and it takes parents the longest to get them to bed
(19.3 minutes vs. 17.5 minutes globally).
Thought I would
share because it’s totally working for us right now. We definitely haven’t
mastered the 12.3 minutes that it takes parents in France to put their kids to
bed but when your kids say “one more kiss” you just can’t deny the cuteness.
This is a great idea, we usually watch tv before bedtime but I like the idea of little bites!
ReplyDeleteThose are awesome!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the 5 minute count down. My kids most often repeated phrase is "4 More Minutes".
ReplyDeleteCool! Wish they had that when my kids are little.
ReplyDeleteSo DAMN smart.
ReplyDeleteMy son would would always ask to read just one more book and then another... Thankfully he was always pretty good at going to bed, but I've heard about the challenges from friends. Glad you found something that helps!
ReplyDeleteOkay! I didn't know that they were on Netflix - THANK YOU - I'll see if I can get that on too (tonight...)!
ReplyDeleteOh man! Bedtime is a huge sore spot around here. With four of them it's what I envision herding cats would be like. Thanks for this tip- I will give it a try!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting to read about the bedtime stats from around the world! We definitely fit in with the US description...bedtime is a battleground for us, so maybe these five minute shows are worth a try!
ReplyDelete