How to Get a Child to Go to Bed When You Baby-Sit

Putting a child to bed can be a difficult task, especially for the baby-sitter. Kids are routine oriented and any deviation from their usual schedule can throw them off, making it nearly impossible to get them to bed. By following these steps, you can take some of the stress off of bedtime.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Make sure to keep the kids active all day before you begin bedtime proceedings. If they are tired and worn out, they are much more likely to easily fall asleep.
2. Listen to the kids. They know what their bedtime routine is, so follow it as closely as possible, from brushing teeth to bedtime stories. Help them with whatever they need help with, but be sure to let them do what they can themselves.
3. When you tuck them in, ask them if they like the door open or closed, lights on or off. If they wake up suddenly, you don’t want them to be disoriented.
4. Try bribery if they haven’t fallen asleep or at least agreed to stay in bed. While it may not be a recommended parenting technique, it can be a very effective baby-sitting tool. Offer to play one more game if they promise to go to bed. With childhood obesity on the rise, offering treats is not the best idea.
5. Guilt. At a young age, kids still respect their parents and don’t want to upset them. Tell them how unhappy mom and/or dad will be if they come home and they’re not in bed.
6. If all else fails, don’t worry about it. Although in bed, asleep is the preferable way to see their children when they arrive home, many parents are also happy to see that their kids had a good time, so it may be okay to let the kids keep playing until the parents come home, or hope that they get tired naturally and fall asleep at some time. If its not okay, the parents will let you know.

Tips & Warnings

• Pay attention to what time the parents instruct you to put the child to bed, as well as their estimated return time. Putting a child to bed can be a time consuming process, so allow at least an hour to begin going to bed proceedings.
• Don’t get angry or upset with a child for not going to bed. It's not yours, so don’t take it personally. If a parent is that upset, they simply won’t ask you to baby-sit again, its not the end of the world.

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