Do You Live With A Bedtime Stalling Extraordinaire?? Do you live with a toddler or child that is the king or queen of bedtime stalling? You find yourself starting bedtime and before you know it over an hour has passed and your child is still not in bed or even close to falling asleep? Do you dread bedtime because you know it’s going to drag on forever? Well, you’re in luck! The bedtime stalling extraordinaire is about to be wiped out! Today I am offering you 5 simple steps to put an end to the extreme bedtime stalls! From now on, bedtime will be over and done in 30 minutes and you will find yourself sitting back and wondering why you didn’t do this sooner! 5 STEPS TO STOP THE STALLING:  Lets break each of these steps down so you can understand the importance in all 5 steps. 1. Set up a bedtime routine and stick to it! Pick a routine that you can stick to that is both realistic for your schedule and the family's needs.  Allot an amount of time you can and want to give each night for the bedtime routine. Bedtime routines can be anywhere from 30 min to 1 hour depending on what works for you. Once you have your decided time you begin to piece together the details. For example: bath, jammies, teeth brushing, 2 books, song & tuck in.  Once again choose a realistic routine that you can stick to the majority of the time. 2. Create a chart that clearly states the routine and don’t waiver. With your child create a chart that clearly states your new bedtime routine. Make it age appropriate and hang it somewhere they can reference while the routines are being formed. I love www.iheartorganzing.com for fun free printable charts! Creating charts WITH your kids helps give them a sense of ownership and makes them feel more accountable. It will work in your favor – trust me!  Involve them in the process and cooperation will follow. 3.  No distractions - no cell phones during the routine. Begin and end the routine without distractions. Don’t bring your mobile device with you to storytime. Give them your undivided attention and make them feel important. If you do this they will be more apt to cooperate with new routine as they will feel as though they are getting good quality time.  Quality time is our child's ultimate desire.  Offering this at bedtime will help ease them into a sweet sleep. 4.  Don’t rush your child or the routine If you rush your child and are on them constantly to hurry up they will push back. If you are on them to "hurry up and brush your teeth," "hurry up and get your jammies on," "hurry up, let's get a move on," they will deflect and stall to try to get your positive attention.  If you are reading their book quickly and skipping pages to rush through - they will notice. Once they notice you are rushing the routine, they will begin to feel slided. If they begin to feel unimportant they won’t feel as though their attention needs were met and they will begin to use their stall tactics. They will do just about anything to keep you around and get the attention they feel they didn't get.  They will need one more drink, 1 more book, and 1 more song.  If you want your kids to follow your new routine then you need to hold up your end of the bargain and make time for them. It’s a two-way street.  Start early enough to avoid the rush. 5.  Consistency each and every night and with naps if your child is still napping. Be consistent 100% of the time! Once you have a clear and easy bedtime routine up and running smoothly, it is okay to waiver from the routine from time to time. While you are training and breaking old habits you MUST remain consistent or you will create more stalling. They won’t believe the new routine is concrete.  They won't believe that the new routine is here to stay and they will begin making rules of their own! All 5 steps need to be followed in order to have success. Remember that the stalling won’t disappear overnight, but if you stick with it you will be thrilled with the positive changes you will see. Your child will feel more secure in that he/she will know your bedtime expectations and in turn they will know how to please you – which happens to be your child’s ultimate goal in life! Start today and stick like glue to these 5 easy to follow steps and in the next few weeks bedtime will be free of stalling.  You will probably shock yourself when you start looking forward to the cozy, bonding time of a struggle-free bedtime! For more information on bedtime battles Let's Start Talking