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  |  Toddler & Pre-school  |  Sleep  |  Playing after ‘lights out’
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Playing after ‘lights out’

by Patti Greenberg Wollman

question
I have two adorable girls, aged two and four. Bedtime at our house is a nightmare. They sleep together in the same bedroom and every night after lights out they play and fight. This can go on until my husband and I are exhausted. We have tried everything, but nothing seems to work. What can we do?

answer
It certainly does sound like a difficult situation. I have a few suggestions. First, I assume that there is no way that you can separate the girls at bedtime by putting them in different rooms? I would suggest changing their bedtimes. Put the younger one to sleep earlier, that's fair; the oldest child is entitled to this privilege. If there is no-one to play with in the room, the two-year-old should go to sleep easily.

If the girls really object to this, then tell them that the only way you'll allow them to have the same bedtime is if they behave. Make a list of things they may do, quietly before lights out. Take a timer, set it, and tell them this is the amount of time they can talk before they have to be quiet. If they can't follow whatever rules you set, then they have to go back to different bedtimes. Remember to make all your bedtime activities quiet ones, so they have a chance to settle down. I promise they will grow out of this stage.

Why not chat to other iVillagers about sleeping on the Sleep and Toilet Training message board. Take a look at some of the LIVE discussions happening now on the board:

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