Bedtime Rituals

"Bedtime is a monumental moment to a baby or toddler, a time of transition in which parents hold nearly shamanistic power to tame the forces of darkness." - Meg Cox, The Heart of a Family, p.213.

Bedtime provides a time of connection for parents and children. As children grow, it is a time when parents find out what is really going on in their children's lives.

Simple Bedtime Rituals to share with your children:
1. Reading
2. Listening to the nighttime sounds
3. Inventing stories
4. Singing
5. Bedtime checklist (go to the toilet, brush teeth, story, kiss, turn out the light)
6. Back scratches and foot rubs.

Bedtime is a time for children to process their day, and it may take some children longer than others to do this. One little girl, I am told, will lie quietly talking to herself for 2 hours before falling asleep!