Hello!

I have a daughter that is so energetic that she goes to bed around 10 o clock at night. I need to get her to sleep early and some way to calm her down before bedtime.


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  • Establishing a routine is very important.


  • some great tips here, thanks for all your input. I didn’t even post the question but the question was right up my alley with my youngest son who just doesn’t want to sleep-he’s up at the crack of dawn too! (and he’s 6!)


  • I agree with what is already said. A clear routine, enough physical activities during the day, winding down (no winding up) activities before bed, etc.


  • Does she have a daytime nap? If so, definitely drop that nap! Last year we let our four year old have a nap once a week and that was enough to get her through the week without affecting her bed time.
    The other comments about routine are spot on, this has always worked in our home. Our routine is:
    5pm: dinner
    6pm: bath/shower
    6.15pm family scripture time (5 minutes) and story tiime
    6.45pm brush teeth/go toilet
    7pm bed

    Obviously there is some variation to this as some days are just crazy but on the whole this has been our routine for years :)
    We also don’t watch the news on tv, which helps keep things calm, Sometimes they are allowed to watch a bit of tv during dinner, but this isn’t ideal. I’d also look at what kind of food/drink she is having as it may be triggering her activity levels.


  • Definitely need a routine. Switch off all electronic devices 90 mins before bed. Do some “calm” things like colouring in, reading books, singing lullabies. Have a lavender bath and then into bed for more calm reading. Maybe play some relaxation sounds too?


  • Give her a bath with lavender oil about an hour before you want her to go to bed then get her to sit quietly and look at books or read to her.


  • have a routine and at least get her to lay down and maybe watch tv and settle. good luck


  • All I can suggest is doing things during the day that will wear her out. Plus eliminate as much sugar as possible. Maybe give her diet a complete make over,see if food or drink is affecting her behaviour


  • Maybe start the routine say 7pm, put some lavender drops on her pillow, some lullaby music (lots on itunes or spotify), dim the lights then read to her. We tried everything for our daughter who is 8 and this seems to work, bit hit and miss sometimes..Oh and give her warning like Okay its 5 more minutes till bed time..Good luck hope this helps..


  • Routines leading to bed time really helps. Once overtired, kids get into hyperdrive and then can’t get to sleep. No sugar after lunch also helps, as does a calm and peaceful room. No screen time from before dinner also helps. I have also heard from my daughters physiotherapist that some kids find weighted blankets calming – could be worth looking into?


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