Mom Life

25 Cool & Useful Christmas Gift Ideas from Amazon Prime for under $15

Whether you’re looking for Christmas gift ideas before Thanksgiving or with three days to go until Christmas, the good news is that there is still plenty of time to order any of these gifts from Amazon Prime. Going to the store and buying gifts this time of year is great, ordering them from the comfort of your couch with free shipping is even better!

Plus, you should be able to find a reasonably priced gift for just about anyone on your list with these Christmas gift ideas. And if one isn’t quite perfect, but is close, click on the link and browse through the related products on Amazon, you may find just what you are looking for.

Oh, and if you haven’t tried Amazon Prime yet (basically you pay for an annual subscription and enjoy FREE two-day shipping all year long, you can click here for a FREE 30 day trial >>Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. If you don’t care for it or don’t think you’ll use it the rest of the year you can always cancel as soon as you are done Christmas shopping :).

Happy shopping!

Christmas Gift Ideas from Amazon Prime

1.Quick Quote Books:

Q&A A Day for Moms: A 5-Year Journal
This five-year journal will help moms capture it all–simply turn to today’s date and take a few moments to answer the question at the top of the page. As the journal fills, it will become a loving record and cherished family keepsake. Q&A a Day for Moms: A 5-Year Journal

Every Day: A Five-Year Memory Book
And for non-moms, there are many other fun versions of this journal with the same premise of recording one thought or memory per day on the same page, year after year. Click through to see other versions Every Day: A Five-Year Memory Book

My Quotable Kid: A Parent’s Journal of Unforgettable Quotes
This is a really fun gift for any new parent or parent of little ones. Finally, a sophisticated way to archive all of the wonderful, cute, clever and sincere things children say. Filled with roomy pages for jotting down conversations or overheard saying, this handsome keepsake journal also features a bound-in photo window for adding a unique, personal touch. My Quotable Kid: A Parent’s Journal of Unforgettable Quotes

2. Magnetic Measuring Spoons
For the foodie-> These magnetic and stainless steel measuring spoons stick together so you’ll never be searching your drawer for the teaspoon measuring spoon again! Plus, the narrow end is designed to fit most spice jars and the round end is perfect for liquids. A flat base allows the spoon to rest on the counter top without spilling the contents. Magnets in the spoons keep them nested together while storing, ingenious! Magnetic Measuring Spoons

3. Beautiful Notecards
Each series packs in 10 fabulous, theme-related designs intended to deliver a big bang for your buck. Available blank or with a greeting, these versatile note card sets are a great and easy way to correspond … and look great framed, too! Try framing them individually, or grouping several in a collage frame, to create visually appealing wall decor. 10 Assorted Blank All Occasion Cards

4. Monkey Hook Picture Hanging Kit
I’m a sucker for practical gifts. If you know anyone who has moved, is moving or heading off to college, these are AWESOME! The Amazing Monkey Hook is a lightweight, super-strong spring steel product that enables anyone to hang a picture, mirror, or wall accessory of up to 50 lbs. securely and in just seconds, with No Tools Needed!! It leaves a tiny hole in the wall so when you’re done with it there is very little patching, and they are incredibly strong. Monkey Hook Picture Hanging Kit

5. Cookbooks
For the one that just wants to get dinner on the table quickly–> The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook (Five star rating on Amazon) is the perfect way to get dinner on the table quickly and easily with recipes for tasty main dishes and flavorful side dishes, plus a sprinkling of sweet treats. The recipes in this book are made from scratch and each chapter conveniently separates them by cook time: 15–25-minute meals, 30–45-minute meals and 5–10-minute prep (meals cook on their own in the slow cooker or oven). The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook

For the foodie–> Plated: Weeknight Dinner, Weekend Feasts, and Everything in Between has more than 125 inventive, repertoire-building recipes that will help you cook and eat food you love without having to think so hard about it. Every dish here will work no matter how much (or little) time you have to cook, whether it’s quick dinner on a Monday for two or a backyard barbecue for a crowd. The recipes are all rooted in a core technique—think One-Pan Roasted Chicken, Slow-Simmered Turkey Chili, or Cheesy Baked Penne—but can also be customized according to peak produce and just what you’re in the mood for. Plated: Weeknight Dinner, Weekend Feasts, and Everything in Between Cookbook

6. Family Dinner Box of Questions
Want to hear more at dinner than “Pass the peas”? Wrap your “noodle” around these questions and dinner will never be dull again! 82 conversation starter cards on durable cardboard. Family Dinner Box of Questions

7. Code Names
I admit I wasn’t particularly excited when I saw the packaging of this game. The name makes it sound like a hidden role type of game, but that’s really not what it is. In short, the game plays like this: two teams, each with a clue-giver (spymaster) and one or more guessers. On the table are 25 random words. Each spymaster is trying to give their team one-word clues that help them relate one or more of the words on the table together (without saying the actual words, of course) so that the guessers can figure out which of the random words are affiliated with their team (only the spymasters know this information). The spymaster hopes their team will pick the words that they intended based on their clue without picking cards affiliated with the enemy team, neutral words, or the “spy” word, which immediately ends the game. Whichever team can identify all their words first wins. CodeNames Game

8. Stuffed Burger Press
We have this and LOVE it! The stuffed burger press is the ultimate burger making accessory, allowing you to create 3 unique burger types. You can get creative and opt for a delicious stuffed burger with your own choice of flavors and fillings. Secondly, you can make use of the handy slider utensil to create perfectly shaped party sliders. Or you can keep it simple and go for the traditional burger, with a 100% full meat patty. Stuffed Burger Press

9. Conversation Starters for Husbands & Wives
Conversation Starters is a fun way couples can get to know one another again, and better. Each side has a question and an accompanying Scripture verse or quote that is sure to spark some lively conversation and lots of laughter. Learn more about your partner’s hopes, worries, dreams and joys with this fun resource. Conversation Starters for Husbands and Wives

10. Holiday Wine Charms
Help your friends keep track of their adult wine beverage with these hand painted Christmas Holiday Wine Glass Charms. Includes Free Custom “Its The Most Wonderful Time ofthe Year” Wine Charm Storage Bag. Other designs available. Holiday Wine Charms Set of 9

11. Willow Tree Ornaments
Susan Lordi carves each original ornament, her figures continue to evolve as she identifies emotions so important for us to convey and renders them in simple, pure gestures. These art forms beautifully express love, closeness, healing, courage, hope all the emotions of a life well lived. Willow Tree Christmas Tree Ornaments

12. Women’s Shawl Scarf
If you live in an unpredictable climate, this shawl scarf makes a great gift! Large enough to wrap around your shoulders when it is cold, or use as a traditional scarf the rest of the time. High quality yarn and wool spinning means it does not fade and no pilling. Ultra wide and long 79″x23″, multiple colors and patterns available. Women’s Shawl Scarf

13. Magical Food Defrosting Tray
Everyone has, on occasion, forgotten to take the frozen meat from the freezer, then hurriedly defrosted it in the microwave (partially cooking the edges) or bought a last minute take away. This Magical Defrost tray solves this common problem by allowing you to defrost frozen food up to 10x faster than at room temperature! It requires no electricity, chemicals or heating and will be completely cool to the touch! Simply place the defrost tray onto your kitchen counter and add your frozen food to the top. Thawing times will vary depending on the thickness of the meat but on average it will take between 30 and 60 minutes, much quicker than leaving in the fridge and quicker and safer than at normal room temperature, which can take 10 hours. Vaunted Magical Defrosting Tray

14. Lego Mug
A fun way to brighten the morning of the coffee and lego lover in your life. This mug will provide hours of entertainment and distraction. Build on Brick Coffee Mug

15. Chalkboard Cheese tray
Christmas Gift Ideas for the wine lover: Present cheeses and snacks on this neat slate cheese platter. Your guests and friends will be sure to ask you where you got it from. Slate Cheese tray

16. Blom Headband
We hate headband headaches as much as you. We’ve designed our headband so it’s really comfortable without slipping around. Most likely you’ll forget you’re even wearing it. Premium quality & silky soft rayon viscose fabric made from natural wood cellulose wicks the sweat away for maximum comfort.With moveable knot and pleat detailing, you can style the headband to suit your mood, hairstyle, or activity. Wear it wide, turban style, folded, pleated front – just to name a few of the options. Fully reversible. BLOM Headband

17. Spot It
A fun award-winning game of visual perception for the whole family. Between any two cards there is always one and only one matching symbol. Spot it fast to win, and also look for Spot It Jr. if there are younger ones in your family, plus it develops focus, visual perception skills, speech-language skills, and fine motor skills. And, with five different ways to play the game, it rarely gets old! Spot It Game

18. Pizza Grill Pan
Prepare, grill and serve delicious homemade pizza with the Camerons Pizza Grilling Pan. The pan’s perforated cooking surface ensures even cooking and tasty flavor, and works great with pizza, chicken, shrimp, vegetables and more. Extra-high side walls mean food won’t slide off its 100% non-stick grilling surface, and you can even cook deep dish pizza, too. The pan is dishwasher safe, so clean up is easy. Once you’re finished, the wooden handle folds in for compact, easy storage. Pizza Grilling Pan

19. Succulent in Hammered Copper Pot
The “Living Bell” by LiveTrends Design is a beautiful copper planter with a hardy succulent inside. This piece of living decor looks great in any room of the home. Succulent in Hammered Copper Pot

20. Bananagrams
Similar to Scrabble but no need for a pencil, paper, or board. This fast and fun game is a best seller on Amazon. Players race against each other to build crossword grids and use all their letter tiles first. Perfect for the traveler and word lover in your life. Bananagrams Game

21. Acure Brightening Facial Scrub or Daily Cleanser
Useful Christmas gift ideas are the best! “Seas” the day with natural exfoliation from the ocean! Organic sea kelp and lemon peel gently exfoliate your skin while French green clay cleanses away excess oil without taking your natural moisture with it. Madonna lily stem cells help brighten skin’s appearance. “Sea” the difference today! Acure Brightening Facial Scrub $8.49 or Acure Facial Cleansing Gel

22. High Quality Gardening Gloves
These Gardening Gloves Are Thorn Proof and Have Excellent Grip, Made With Double Stitched Premium Microfiber and Has Padded Palm & Knuckle Area. An Amazon Prime #1 Best Seller! Gardening Gloves

23. Rachel Ray Cucina Stoneware Serving Platter
Add extra warmth to festive meal buffets and casual dinner tables with the sturdy, handsome Rachael ray Cucina dinnerware 8-inch x 12-inch stoneware rectangular platter. Crafted from durable stoneware and glazed with warm, earthy color, the serving platter beautifully blends Rachael’s sense of modern home and kitchen functionality and her relaxed, casual style. Rachel Ray Cucina Stoneware Serving Platter

24. Great News Grandparent Frame
We can’t forget Christmas gift ideas for grandparents, this ceramic frame is SURE to be well received! Great News Grandparent Frame

25. Flower Wine Charms, set of 12
A sure conversation starter for any get together! The set includes a variety of 12 duo-tone flower charms, making it easy for guests to keep track of their glass. Made from soft, silicone material, guests will not be distracted by any noisy ‘clinking’ against their glasses and when finished, charms can stay attached to the drinkware and placed directly into the dishwasher for easy clean up! Flower Wine Charms, set of 12

26. Tea Drops
Tea drops are delicious organic shaped tea comprised of finely sourced organic tea organic aromatic spices and lightly sweetened with organic raw sugar creating a blissful tea blend that can be enjoyed any time, any place, with just boiling water. No special tools, no steeping time, no tea expertise necessary. Tea Drops

I know holiday shopping can get a little overwhelming at times, but I hope you found at least one or two Christmas gift ideas here that help! Best wishes this holiday season!

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>> How to opt out of gift exchanges (without looking like a scrooge!)

**Please note: Of course this post contains affiliate links! Thank you for supporting our blog! Also, prices for these Christmas gift ideas from Amazon can change frequently, prices shown were accurate at the time of publishing but cannot be guaranteed, nor can stock of the product.

Toddlers to teens: tips for successful bedtimes

Happy Homes, Mom Life

This is part of a series on getting kids to bed at night and keeping them in their rooms. To read the first part of the article, please click here. Maureen is a stay at home mom and here are her best bedtime tips from years of experience!

I have a feeling I’m the one with older kids here–so let me say from the start: it really DOES get easier! Our years of bedtime experiences, including tending to a child with special needs, have left us feeling grateful that things are going smoothly now that they’re older (and healthier).

What is the age range of your children?

17, 15, and 12

How long does it take to put your kids to bed at night?

Depends on the homework load and the general level of exhaustion (harder to get them to bed when they’re overtired). We’re really trying to get our teens in bed at a reasonable hour, as research indicates that 9-10 hours of sleep are optimal for teens.

What does your bedtime routine consist of/look like on a regular night?

We try to pray together. Our 12-year-old (who has Down syndrome) needs a slightly different routine (i.e. very structured), and he usually goes to bed at 9 on school nights. It takes about 15 minutes to get him ready (potty, teeth brushing, pj’s, etc.)

What does it look like if you get home late?

We generally stick to the same routine.

Do you have children that share a room? Does that work for your family?

Our children each have their own bedroom (they are living my childhood fantasy, as I’m one of 7 and always shared a bedroom with a sister). I certainly don’t think kids need their own bedroom, and I’m grateful for the years that our girls shared a room in our former home. But as teenagers, they have valued their own space (and I value it for them).

What excuses do your children use to stay up later or to get out of bed?

At this age, our problem isn’t keeping them in bed, it’s getting them OUT of bed in the morning! But if the girls tend to stay up too late, it’s generally because they’re on SnapChat or some other online site (though we don’t do Facebook).

How do you respond if your child gets up after you have put them to bed?

We try to remain calm and patient, as expressing frustration simply gets them more agitated and keeps them up longer. With our son, one of us goes back into his room with him, prays with him, and sings him a song.

What do you do if one of your children wakes up in the middle of the night and would like to sleep in your room or bed?

We have never allowed our children to sleep in our room or our bed. It’s a boundary we set when our kids were first born. We respect that others see this differently. However, since we set that boundary years ago, the kids never even ask to sleep in our room or in our bed.

Have you had concerns that seemed out of your child’s control (like nightmares, wetting the bed at an older age, working themselves up to the point of throwing up)? How did you handle these?

Given our son’s special needs, he presents many concerns that have required lots of trial and error. At age 12, he still wears Pull-Ups, wakes up in the middle of the night about 50% of the time, and can occasional soak the bed. In addition, when he is sick (particularly stomach virus), he doesn’t know how to get himself to the bathroom, so he requires lots of attention in the middle of the night. How do we handle all of this? With lots of prayer!

If my kids are not currently used to going to bed when they are asked and get up frequently, or if they are used to me rocking them or laying with them to go to sleep, what would be your best advice?

One of the ways we managed to get our son out of the habit of having us stay in the room with him is to leave the room while he’s drowsy (but not asleep) and say, “I’m going to brush my teeth and then I’ll come back to check on you.” Nine times out of ten, he’s sound asleep when I return.

What if my child is scared to sleep in their own room at night?

One of our daughters has struggled with this. We try to talk her through the fear, and we pray with her. We invite her to ask her guardian angel to watch over her, and we assure her that Jesus is with her.

What do you do when your kids are sick?

Because they each have their own room, we have them stay in their room and tend to them there. Because I’m not currently working outside the home (and can grab a nap the next day while they’re at school) I do most of the “night watch.”

What age do you think is best to transition kids from a crib to toddler bed?

It differed for each of our children. Our eldest moved when she was about 2 (because her little sister was born and we needed the crib for the baby), and our middle daughter moved at about the same age, because that seemed to work for her elder sister. Our son stayed in longer due to his special needs. Short answer: it depends on the child.

Of course, our situation may be different in that our kids rarely battled to stay up past bedtime (maybe we managed to tucker them out?). In any case, hang in there, have confidence, and don’t forget to pray! For “He pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber” (Ps. 127:2).

Return to the bedtime routine article main page –>
Related: How we easily transition our babies from co-sleeping to crib –>

Yes, kids of all ages can share a room successfully!

Healthy Relationships, Mom Life

This is part of a series on getting kids to bed at night and keeping them in their rooms. To read the first part of the article, please click here. Amy is a home-schooling mama who also leads a ministry called The Family Restoration Project with her husband Jonny and their family. Here is how they get their kids to bed each night and keep them there!

What is the age range of your children?

I have 8 children ages 4-19.

How long does it take to put your kids to bed at night?

10-30 minutes depending on the night.

What does your bedtime routine consist of/look like on a regular night?

Boy, bedtime routines change dramatically over the years. Ten years ago looks much different that it looks today. My youngest three kiddos are ages 4, 8, and 10 make it pretty simple to get them into bed. I actually spend longer tucking my 4 year old in than I ever have simply because she is my last and who’s in a hurry anyway:) So our routine in this phase of life is my 8 & 10 year old sons do all their bedtime preparations independently and climb into bed around 8:30 and then read until 9:00 for the eight year old and 9:30 for the ten year old. I still ’tuck’ them in with kisses and prayers which I wouldn’t miss for the world!

My four year old and I have a long tuck in and a short tuck in depending on when we get started. Tucking her into bed includes all the normal bedtime prep of teeth and jimmies, but also a snack, book, prayers of blessings, and even a game if we have time. I’m trying to not overly spoil her, but I tell ya what – they grow soooo very fast I just want to soak it all in! She falls asleep listening to Bible verse songs on her CD player. Once she is in bed, however, she is not allowed out of her bedroom because this momma wants to tuck and not have to keep on tucking. That’s been a rule in our home since my oldest first was in a big-boy bed and I love it! It’s about the momma’s sanity:)

What does it look like if you get home late?

Short and sweet. We may even skip brushing teeth (insert gasp here).

Do you have children that share a room? Does that work for your family?

We have 4 boys and 4 girls and each group has their own room. This has been great for our family and it has created amazing family dynamics as our 19, 16, 10, & 8 year old boys and our 17, 13, 11, & 4 year old girls, play fabulously together!

I never wanted my kiddos to have their own rooms. I wanted them to have tons of grace for all ages and stages and find quiet time in long walks in the woods instead of isolated in their rooms.

What excuses do your children use to stay up later or to get out of bed?

Oh, all the usual:) “I never had my snack!” or “I had a bad dream.” (After only being in bed for 10 minutes -ha!) Kids are kids:)

How do you respond if your child gets up after you have put them to bed?

I will usually give one verbal reminder and then a “reminder in the behinder”. Whenever I give my kiddos a spank it is never because I’m angry, I am just firming up a boundary that has been previously established. I absolutely know that my kiddos thrive on boundaries, and bedtime routines are a great place to establish them for peace and joy in my home.

What do you do if one of your children wakes up in the middle of the night and would like to sleep in your room or bed?

If my kiddos are sick I will bring them to our bedroom and have them sleep on our floor simply because I find it easier than trekking across our house when they need me. However, if they woke up from a bad dream or are simply awake, I will cuddle them, pray over them, and sit by their bed for a couple of minutes, but we don’t ever have kiddos sleep in our bed.

Have you had concerns that seemed out of your child’s control (like nightmares, wetting the bed at an older age, working themselves up to the point of throwing up)? How did you handle these?

One of my bigger kiddos struggled with wetting the bed until the age of 10. We did many things to help him, but the biggest was for us to remain unphased by it. Kiddos sense our stress and anxiety and nobody wants to wet the bed, so we purposefully tried to be chill about it even when it was interrupting our night’s sleep – repeatedly.

One practical thing I did was buy 3×3 waterproof pads that absorbed the potty, protected the rest of the sheets, and kept what needed to be done in the middle of the night to a minimum. I would simply take off that pad and replace it with another.

Baby steps. Take it one step at a time. Figure out what the most important boundary you want to establish is and do that until it is easy and habitual for you and your child. And remember, that in order to form a new bedtime habit, you as the parent need to also not make exceptions. When you make exceptions it tells the kiddo that if they grumble or complain you may just change your mind.

Once you establish the boundary be pleasantly firm about it. Once you have make that adjustment, decide on what should be next. This is a brilliant way to establish new habits in any area of your home. Just remember, small and steady wins over fast and wishy washy any day!

What if my child is scared to sleep in their own room at night?

I still wouldn’t let them sleep in my room. It only validates their fear. If we allow them to sleep in our room one of two things happen: they think mom and dad agree that there is something to be afraid of or, they begin to manipulate you by using the buzz word ‘fear’ to get you to cave it. Now I’m not saying that you don’t comfort them, but I would teach them to comfort themselves with truth. As a Christian I would have them memorize Bible verses that they could say to themselves as they fall asleep, or simply sing Jesus Loves Me while picturing Jesus snuggling them in their minds.

What has been the most difficult age for your children in regards to bedtime?

I think maybe 2, because they are learning their boundaries for the first time instead of just fine-tuning boundaries that are already established.

What do you do when your kids are sick?

I will have them sleep on the floor of our room simply because I want them to have easy access to me.

What age do you think is best to transition kids from a crib to toddler bed?

I always transitioned because another little baby-login’ was going to need the crib. I don’t think there is a right or a wrong answer to this question, just sometime before they climb out and hurt themselves on the dismount.

– Amy

Next: Read about Maureen’s bedtime routines –>

-or- Return to the bedtime tips article main page –>

4 Moms Share: How we get our kids to bed in 15 MIN OR LESS!

Healthy Relationships, Mom Life, Most Recent

I remember after we had our first, the only way to get her to sleep at night was to feed her and then lay with her until she was out and then sneak out of the room. With each step I was fearful that a squeak in the floor or pulling the door shut would wake her up.

Many nights I’d fall asleep with her and my husband would come in and say “she must be asleep, isn’t she?” He would be annoyed that our evening time together had once again been sabotaged by our inability to get our daughter to sleep in her own bed, on her own.

I’d think to myself “we don’t have a clue what we’re doing, I don’t think bedtime should have to be like this!?!”

Fortunately, around the one year mark my husband started taking an interest in the bedtime routine. His gut was this: She needs good sleep at night and we need time together after she goes to bed. We can’t spend an hour putting her to sleep or we’ll continue to dread bedtime until she’s a teenager.

So we made a plan and were consistent with it. And it worked. And it was WAY easier than what we had anticipated.

And while our bedtime routine has evolved over the years, I thought I’d share how we get our four kids (ages 2-7) to bed in under fifteen minutes each night. We’ve learned ALOT over the years, mostly by trial and error, and finding what works for each of our kids.

I also wanted to recruit the help of three other moms since everyone’s routines look a little different. These moms have bedtime under control, as well, and I hope you can take away something from each of them depending on the stage you are in and the uniqueness of your family.

Drama-free bedtime routines:

We asked each mom to answer questions based on their current routine, as well as:

What to do if kids are scared of their room or sleeping alone
How to help kids learn to be able to fall asleep on their own
What they do when kids are sick
The most common excuses their kids use for getting out of bed
What they do when kids get out of bed after being tucked in
When kids are allowed to get up in the morning

Here you can find each of our responses:

DAWN

My husband Tom and I work as Realtors and have four kids ages 2-7. Our schedule is often unpredictable, and it isn’t uncommon for a sitter or relative to put our kids to bed at night, so we wanted a quick, streamlined bedtime routine. We also co-slept with each of our babies until they were around a year old and then transitioned them to their own beds. Read more –>

ALLISON

Allison Loftus MA, LPC is a licensed professional therapist. Allison and her husband Derrick have three kids ages 8-12. Allison offers great advice if your kids have become scared of their room or sleeping alone.
Read more –>

AMY

Amy and Jonny have eight kids ages 4-19. Amy home-schools their kiddos, Jonny is a medical doctor and they also work in ministry. Amy talks about how kids of all ages can successfully share a room, how their routine has evolved through the years, and what bedtime looks like for her teenagers.
Read more –>

MAUREEN

Maureen and Jim have three kids ages 12-17. Jim works as a Family Therapist and Christian Life Coach and Maureen has recently taken on the role of a stay at home mom. Maureen shares about structuring bedtime for their son with special needs as well as bedtime for teens. Read more –>

Sleep Success

So how long does it take to develop new routines at bedtime? I think that we all would agree that if you committed a consistent week to this you would see a huge change and would be putting happy kids to bed with ease from here on out.

We truly hope that you find this helpful and encourage you to leave a comment with any questions that you have, we’ll gladly get back to you right away. We know that routines are unique to each family, but the universal truth is: kids need good sleep and parents and caregivers need time to recharge.

Blessings and GRACE to you! Developing new rituals is not always easy (although it may be easier than what you fear!) but it is definitely worth it!

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What to do if your kids are scared of sleeping in their own room

By Allison, Mom Life

This is part of a series on getting kids to bed at night and keeping them in their rooms. To read the first part of the article, please click here. Allison is a licensed therapist and mom. Here is how she and husband Derrick get their kids to bed in a reasonable amount of time each night and keep them there!

“I have a sleeping disorder. It is called my children.”

The night before the induction of my first child I remember thinking, “This is my last night full night asleep for a very long time.” As a person who NEEDS 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night to function, I dreaded having to get up multiple times a night to feed the baby.

Knowing the benefits of a full night’s sleep such as optimal brain functioning, increased emotional regulation, and greater life satisfaction, Derrick and I started training our kids from birth on how to sleep through the night. It wasn’t easy at times but we got there. Read on to find out what worked well for our family.

What is the age range of your children?

I have three super cool kids, Kyle is 12 years old, Charlotte is 10 years old, and Madelyn is 8 years old.

How long does it take to put your kids to bed at night?

From showers, teeth, twinkle-little star, some sprinkle sleeping dust, and a few kisses to lights out it takes about 30 to 40 minutes.

What does your bedtime routine consist of/look like on a regular night?

We eat dinner later in the evening, around 7 pm. While Derrick and I are cooking in the kitchen we have the kids start their showers. After dinner, the kids brush their teeth. Then it is in to bed, twinkle, and a kiss.

What does it look like if you get home late?

As a therapist I have later hours to accommodate my clients needs, on those nights Derrick will start dinner and shower time before I get home. If the whole family is running late, no stress, we just put them to bed a little later.

Do you have children that share a room? Does that work for your family?

Kyle has his own room and the girls share a room. Charlotte would love to “not share a room” with her little sister and frequently reminds the family that at our next house she will have her own bedroom. Learning to share and getting along with each other is all part of being a family. When the girls complain about sharing a room, Derrick and I say, “Oh, well. That’s the way it is.” And let them figure it out. So, far sharing rooms has worked well for us. But as we are nearing the teenage years that may all change.

What excuses do your children use to stay up later or to get out of bed?

Occasionally, Kyle will ask to read for a bit more before bed. Since he older, we usually give him an extra 10 minutes before he needs to turn his light off.

The girls’ main reason for wanting extra attention at night is they are scared or have had a bad dream. Last year, Charlotte and Madelyn were going through period of being scared of monsters at night. Some people use Monster Spray to help a child feel safe at night. Knowing my girls, this would just end in a all out water fight. So, I came up with Sprinkle Dust. Each night I give them an imaginary bag of sprinkle dust and tell them the dust helps their minds to relax so they can have a good night sleep.

How do you respond if your child gets up after you have put them to bed?

So, Derrick and I were a bit preventative in this area. When we transitioned the kids from the crib to their own bed we put in place the rule that they could not get out of bed until we told them so. If they had to throw-up or go to the bathroom they could get out of bed but they had to go right back to bed and wait until we gave them the “Okay”. Still, today the kids stay in bed unless they have to pee or throw-up.

What do you do if one of your children wakes up in the middle of the night and would like to sleep in your room or bed?

When they wake-up I go to their room to find out what is going-on. Usually they just need a little reassurance, a glass of water, or a hug.

Overall, we are a “no children in our bed” family except for morning snuggles. When breastfeeding I did co-sleep with the baby until they were about 2 months and then it was into the crib. So, my kids have been trained since an early age that they have their space to sleep and mom and dad have theirs. Once each kid was able to sleep through the night, I figured they got this and kept on nurturing their self-confidence to self-sooth at night without coming into our bed.

Sometimes parents lack confidence in their child’s ability to self-sooth at night and worry that their child’s emotional distress will be too much for the child to handle. Given the choice children will choose the comfort of a parent rather then learning to rely on themselves. If you want to make some changes here are a few things to consider.

Be reassured your child is perfectly capable of self-soothing at night and has the capacity to handle nighttime emotional distress. If you have been soothing your child by rocking them to sleep or lying next to them, then those are the two soothing tools you have taught your child. The great thing is you can help your child develop new ways to take care of their needs during the night.
Develop a consistent nighttime routine and bedtime. Period. They need this and you need this for your sanity.
Set clear age appropriate sleep expectations with your kiddo and stick by them. It may be exhausting the first few weeks consistently walking your child back into their room but they will catch on.
Revamp your sleep toolbox. From imaginary monster spray, pre-sleep routines, mindfulness techniques, there is a world of options to build your child’s sleep confidence and lessen their reliance on you. The Internet, online communities, friends, family, and mom support groups are all great recourses in finding new ways to respond to your child’s needs.
You know your child’s and family’s needs best. What works well for another family may not work well for your family. Trust your instincts and do what works for your family.

What if my child is scared to sleep in their own room at night?

It is common for children resist sleeping in their own room at night due to fear. However, bedtime fears are a great opportunity for you to grow your child’s sense of autonomy and self-confidence. Here are a few simple steps to understanding your child’s nighttime fears:

How to Understand Your Child’s Nighttime Fears

Talk About Their Fear

Some fears are imaginary, some are based on experiences at home, school, or with friends, some stem from a scary movie or news report. Learning about what is causing your child’s sleep anxiety helps you to better understand how to respond to their fears.

Validate That What Your Child Is Feeling Is Real

Letting your child know you care by treating their experience as genuine not only has a calming affect but also helps them with their development of empathic relationships with others.

Reassure Them That They Are Safe

Let your child know you are right next-door keeping them safe. They can sleep knowing that you are doing your job as a parent, keeping them safe.

Brainstorm Ideas They Can Try When They Feel Scared

Ask you child how they can help their minds feel calm? If your child is younger than 5 years, you can offer suggestions and let them choose.

How do your kids know when they can come out of their room in the morning?

When either Derrick or I give them the verbal “Okay”.

What do you do when your kids are sick?

I let them know I feel their pain (being sick is the worse), help them with their needs, then put them back into bed and repeat as needed.

What age do you think is best to transition kids from a crib to toddler bed?

When you are ready to deal with children getting out of bed ; )

Kids and sleep can be a really struggle for parents. Hang in there. They will sleep through the night. On a rough night keep these three key words in your back pocket for developing healthy sleep habits with kids… consistency, consistency, consistency. Make sure to check out some of my friends posts for more sleep suggestions and tips.

Next: Read about Amy’s bedtime routines –>

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How we get our kids to bed in fifteen minutes each night (and keep them there!)

Healthy Relationships, Mom Life

This is part of a series on getting kids to bed at night and keeping them in their rooms. To read the first part of the article, please click here. Dawn is a Realtor and mom. Here is how she and husband Tom get their kids to bed in fifteen minutes (or less!) each night and keep them there!

We have learned a lot over the past seven years in regards to bedtime routines. Mostly that what we allow is what will happen at bedtime. Since we’ve tightened up our expectations bedtime has become a breeze and our kids go to bed HAPPY each night.

I also want you to know that I firmly believe that kids can go from co-sleeping to sleeping on their own very smoothly. You can read more about how we transition our kids from our bed to their’s here.

What is the age range of your children?

We have four children ages 2-7. Our two older are girls ages 7 and 5 and our two youngest are boys ages 3 1/2 and 2.

How long does it take to put your kids to bed at night?

Fifteen minutes TOPS. We’ve intentionally kept our bedtime routine very streamlined because our schedule can be unpredictable at times. We also wanted it to be simple for sitters or relatives to do if they happen to be putting the kids to bed at night.

What does your bedtime routine consist of/look like on a regular night?

We put our kids to bed at 7:00 each night, so around 6:45 we ask the kids to go potty and brush their teeth. While they are doing that I change our youngest’s diaper and make him a bottle. When they are done in the bathroom they know to head straight to their room to put on pajamas and get into bed. If my husband is home he keeps everyone on track and prevents dilly-dallying.

Once they are in bed, we say a quick blessing over them and reaffirm something that they did well that day or that we love about their character. It might be something like “I loved hearing you sing to the radio on the way home from school today, you have such a great voice. Bless you that you sleep well and have sweet dreams.” or “I was so proud of you for telling the truth, it’s not always easy but you did the right thing, blessings that you will always be known to be trustworthy.”

This seems to help give them something positive to think about as they settle in for the night.

We also have a noise maker that plays white noise that we turn on each night and leave on all night. We have a small house so my husband and I feel that we don’t have to tip toe around when this is on. We also like that when we travel we bring it with and it is a good sleep cue for the kids no matter where we are. (This is the one that we have, under $20 from Amazon)

What does it look like if you get home late?

Pretty much the same. When we are driving in the driveway my husband will say “as soon as we get inside we’re going potty and brushing our teeth” and now the kids will often beat him to it and say “Daddy are you going to say…” or “We know, we know, as soon as we get inside we’re going potty and brushing our teeth.”

We joke about it, but it is nice that they always know what to expect.

Do you have children that share a room? Does that work for your family?

Actually all of our kids are in one room right now simply because our home only has two bedrooms…but they seem to love it. They actually sleep better now than they ever did when they were in their own rooms. I think it is comforting knowing that there are others in the room if they wake up at night.

I know what you’re thinking: But don’t they keep each other up? In the past, if there has been a problem with them talking after they are put to bed we put a baby monitor in their room so that we could respond at the first peep. That was only necessary for one or two nights and then they knew that it wasn’t going to happen anymore.

Down the road we will remodel and plan to have a girl bedroom and boy bedroom, but for now, this has worked surprisingly well.

What excuses do your children use to stay up later or to get out of bed?

“I’m thirsty” or “my tummy hurts”. We finally had to say that if you’re thirsty you needed to ask for a drink before bedtime. Kids are quick learners, they now know to drink up ahead of time or to not even bother asking. And when they say that their tummy hurts or that they don’t feel well we just say that sleep is the best solution for that.

“I’m not tired”. Once in awhile our 3 1/2 year old will nap late and doesn’t seem tired at bedtime. However, since they all share a room, it isn’t really an option to have him go to bed later. But here is what surprises me: I’ll often go to check on him these nights, and I may here him softly singing or talking to himself. He hasn’t fallen asleep yet but is perfectly capable of quietly occupying himself in his bed until he does drift off.

Similarly, I would often hear our two year old talking to himself before he nodded off. I’ve read that kids NEED time before they fall asleep for their brain to begin to sort the day’s events. It shouldn’t be expected (or desired) that they “crash” at night, it is OK to put them to bed before they’re displaying signs of being tired.

How do you respond if your child gets up after you have put them to bed?

Honestly, they know they have to deal with daddy if they get up. I stay home with the kids about 80% of the week, by bedtime, my emotional energy is about gone. Fortunately, my husband has a high value for our time together so he doesn’t put up with any excuses, he just takes them straight back to bed.

Sometimes in the spring and fall Tom will help my family with farming and he won’t be home for bedtime for quite a few nights in a row. The kids often think that this is a free pass for them to get up. The worst was when our third was two. He was still in a crib but he would get out again and again (even if I spanked him!). So I just sat outside his door and put him right back in his crib as soon as he got up. One night I did it fifteen times. The next night was three and after that he was done.

CONSISTENCY IS KING dear friend! Like I said, I know what it is like to have zero energy for bedtime battles, but committing a few nights to a new routine will pay off!

What do you do if one of your children wakes up in the middle of the night and would like to sleep in your room or bed?

We bring them back to their bed. Oh man, it is not always easy to get out of a warm bed in the middle of the night (especially if they’ve gotten you at the dead bottom of a sleep cycle). But like I said before, consistency is everything and our kids rarely come into our room at night anymore.

I think the Super Nanny made this approach mainstream, and I’ve heard it work for many families, where you place the child in their bed and then move a little further away each night until you’re in the hallway. If they wake during the night you simply bring them back to their bed without saying anything…no arguing, reasoning or otherwise, just straight back to bed.

I’m always surprised how quickly kids pick up new routines…it doesn’t mean they won’t test the new boundaries, but we all know that they need and want these boundaries to feel safe and secure and to know that we have things under control. Again, not always easy for us, especially if we don’t feel like we have things under control, but stick with it!! :)

What if my child is scared to sleep in their own room at night?

Sometimes this throws me for a loop because I know what they are feeling is very real. So, I always ask myself: “Well do they have something to be afraid of?” Nope. They are completely safe in their bedroom at night. So I try to reassure them that they are safe and that we are not far away if they need us. I also tell them that we check on them during the night for extra security.

Have you had concerns that seemed out of your child’s control (like nightmares, wetting the bed at an older age, working themselves up to the point of throwing up)? How did you handle these?

Our youngest would work himself up to the point of throwing up. Once we transitioned him to his own crib, once in awhile there would be times that he would not go to sleep on his own and he would cry. At this stage (around the two year mark) we always let them cry for a few minutes before we go into the room to comfort them. In that time frame he would sometimes work himself up to the point of throwing up (he has a sensitive stomach anyway, so he doesn’t have to get too worked up for this to happen).

So, while I don’t like to have to clean up throw-up, we let him do it so that he would know that unfortunately, even throwing up when you aren’t sick isn’t rewarded with coming out of your bed. He’s done it twice and that has been the end of it.

Our oldest also had a short stretch of night terrors. These are horrifying! They usually happened between 9:00 and 10:00 at night (again with them going to bed at 7:00, so she had been asleep for 2-3 hours). We would hear her crying uncontrollably from her room and enter to find her awake, but not really awake with the most terrified expression on her face. Once she was settled back down I would sit outside of her door until she fell back asleep.

Fortunately, this was a short season for her, but if it is a recurring problem for your child, or someone else that you know, they do make this device that goes under the child’s mattress. It senses their sleep patterns and vibrates when it is anticipating that they are switching sleep cycles. This is when most night terrors occur and it is proven to be 90% effective (although not cheap!)

What has been the most difficult age for your children in regards to bedtime?

For us it seems to be around the two year mark where you know they understand what you’re saying, but don’t always listen. This makes consistency more important than ever!

What do you do when your kids are sick?

We try to keep them on their regular sleeping routine as much as possible. It seems that they don’t even know to ask for special accommodations when they are sick because they are rarely offered. The only exceptions we make are if they have a high fever or are nauseous, then we let them sleep on our floor so that we can keep an eye on them. The drawback to this is that they don’t seem to get as good of sleep as if they were in their own bed, which we all know is what they need when they aren’t feeling well.

What age do you think is best to transition kids from a crib to toddler bed?

We have always kept our kids in their crib until they were around three. Even though they could crawl out, they seemed to prefer the cozy environment to that of a toddler bed and it was more work for them to get up at night.

When we did transition them, we had them go straight to twin beds so now they all have beds they can sleep in until they graduate.

How do your kids know when they can get up in the morning?

We have an alarm clock in their room with the minutes covered up. They all know that there needs to be a “6” or “7” on the clock for them to get up. Of course this also took some consistency and intentionality in the beginning, but now it is just a normal part of their day.

I know I’ve said this a few times: but I TOTALLY get not having energy at the end of the day to implement new routines, but I do think it is a worthy pursuit. My best encouragement would be to decide what you want bedtime to look like, inform your kids that you are going to be starting something new, and commit to 110% consistency that first week.

Best wishes and please feel free to ask questions in the comments! :)

Next: Read about Allison’s bedtime routines –>

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