How we spend the Bedtime Hour... #milkdrinkersmilk

To many, the bedtime hour is about routine, it's quiet time for your children to wind down, to have baths, stories and be ready to drift off to sleep. 

For me it's so much more. 

As a parent who works full time, for me the hour before my children's bedtime is the most precious hour of the day, it is the only part of the day I get to spend with them during the week. It's the time I get to chat to them about their day, listen to them giggle while they tell jokes, share stories and watch them grow in to the beautiful, kind little people they are becoming. 

Unlike many families we don't have a strict bedtime routine, we have a set bedtime and of course before that the children have washes, brush their teeth and get their pyjamas on, but we try to do this as quickly as possible to make the most of our time together. I like to let the my eight and four year olds lead the way for this time we have together. Some days we will play a quick board game or do a jigsaw, others we will read together and some times we'll just chat and giggle while enjoying a glass of refreshing Cravendale milk and a slice of toast or brioche for supper!

 

While we work, the children attend breakfast club and after school club which means that during the week we aren't at home during the day, and we only have breakfast together at weekends. As we are out of the house for most of the week Cravendale is the ideal milk for us, because it's filtered, it stays fresher for longer and once opened will last for up to seven days in the fridge, meaning that we can enjoy a delicious fresh glass of milk together any night of the week without worry. 

I'd love to know how you spend your bedtime hour? Do you have a routine or let your children lead it?

This post is an entry for BritMums #MilkDrinkersMilk Linky Challenge, sponsored by Cravendale 

Bedtime Routines with Dora the Explorer

I have a love hate relationship with routines, when my children were babies I breastfed on demand, co-slept and basically let them lead. I know this is not the right way for every family but it worked well for us and I believe it has contributed towards my children being so settled in their routine now.

Not everyone has it so easy though and I have lots of friends who struggle with their children not settling into a routine even when they get older. I have recently been introduced to the resources that are available on the Nick Jr website including this bedroom routine activity sheet which we have been having great fun with! We were sent a lovely magnetic wall chart for Elizabeth's bedroom too which she has built into her routine and loves standing next to to see if she has gown each night before bed!

Elizabeth really enjoyed putting the different steps in the right order and was then very precise about following them! I think this would be an excellent resource for  parents whose little ones struggle with settling down at night. It creates a fun game so they don't realise that they are actually getting ready for bed.

We made a little video about Elizabeth's bedtime routine, which you can watch below, I wonder if you can guess what her favourite part of the routine is?

 

Do your children have a bedtime routine? If you are struggling you can down load the activity sheet wqe used above on the Nick Jr Website.