How to deal with kids late at night in holidays

mutley74

My son (9) is driving me mad!!! I know its school Xmas holidays but he refuses to sleep before 9pm. He said he will sleep at 930 but i know he wont. Past few days he waits for me until around 10ish before he will sleep.

he keep saying "oh dad is school holidays..!

any tips welcome to get kids into bed please!

jamespir

whos in charge here him or you just put him into bed and everytime he gets out just say its bed (nothing else) and take him back hell soon get bored and go to sleep

Britwife

I can understand where you are coming from. Usually on the weekends, we let our sons watch a movie in bed and will probably do the same during the holiday. It's a good way to wind down and we get our youngest in bed at 8. Once in a while, we go to bed early and let the boys camp out in the living room.

rachbc

Send him back to bed and tell him to stay in his room...you can't force him to sleep but an evening or lying in the dark with nowt to do will bore him to sleep!

mutley74

rachbc wrote: »

Send him back to bed and tell him to stay in his room...you can't force him to sleep but an evening or lying in the dark with nowt to do will bore him to sleep!

thanks for all replies.
i have tried this before on school days. but as soon as i go downstairs he switches on the light and starts reading or playing in his room. DS is pretty active kid and i notice does not like sleeping before 9pm, even if he wakes up early.

Counting_Pennies_2

My son (nearly 7) has a series of dot to dot books, and other activity flip pad books.

The deal is either an audio book, activity book, normal book (he is just starting to read books like Dinosaur Cove on his own) or a quiet play.

He used to jump about in his room and going crazy until 10pm in his first year at school and we worked out there was so much going on in his life that he couldn't settle at night, he was processing all the excitment.

So introducing these activities helped him wind down and sleep when he was ready.

The beauty of the school holidays is they can have a lie-in, late to sleep late to wake.

The other point to note is they probably aren't doing as much physical activity as they do at school. After a walk to and from school running about during the three break times and PE makes for quite an active day. So if you are nipping out in the car, watching tv, having friends to play, playing games. These are all pretty much stationary activities. Make sure you try to fit in an outside physical activity at some point in the day.

I am a fine one to talk, especially in all this snow!

hth

rachbc

mutley74 wrote: »

thanks for all replies.
i have tried this before on school days. but as soon as i go downstairs he switches on the light and starts reading or playing in his room. DS is pretty active kid and i notice does not like sleeping before 9pm, even if he wakes up early.

If my son turned the light on and starting messing about after I'd told him to go to bed then he knows there would be a consequence for ignoring me....

The only stimulus he was allowed after light out is audio books.

onlyroz

If he wants to read then let him read - but I wouldn't let him watch TV or leave his room.

julie2710

rachbc wrote: »

If my son turned the light on and starting messing about after I'd told him to go to bed then he knows there would be a consequence for ignoring me....

The only stimulus he was allowed after light out is audio books.

I'd take the bulb out!!!!!:D

Sid_Wolf

does he get grumpy the next day if he's up past 9??

If not then why not let him settle downstairs with you and his dad with a mug of warm milk and a film, with his duvet on the sofa??

He's probably mega excited that its xmas in 3 days and currently hasnt got school to tire him out

meritaten

its coming up to christmas - kids get excited! remember that? try the winding down technique, which I use on my Aspie grandson and my ADHD granddaughter. try to limit the noise etc in the house for an hour or so before bedtime, only 'tame' feelgood dvds are allowed and stories are of the old fashioned variety which they have heard time and time again. then bedtime is tucking in, goodnight kisses, everyone chants 'sleep tight - dont let the bedbugs bite' and its bedroom light out. (nightlights are allowed). if a child is still awake then a familiar book is allowed to be read by them - an old favourite. or even sitting by the bed with them and holding thier hand until they fall asleep!