When I went away to college I moved in with two girls I had never met before. We had a good size triple room but I did not fit in at all with the other 2 girls. I had an 8am class, they came in most mornings at 3am after partying all night and slept until noon. I thrived at campus activities, mixers and club meetings…they partied. It was not a match made in heaven. Sears has created CampusReady on Facebook a set of apps aimed at getting to know your roomate, decorating your dorm room and going back to school in style.

There are 3 parts to Campus Ready: RoomMate Matchup, Dorm Room Designer and Gift Getter. RoomMate Matchup is a great tool to see how compatible you and your roommate will be. It is a quiz that explores your likes and dislikes. This is a great way to start communicating with the stranger you will be rooming with. Once you get to know each other Dorm Room Designer helps you design your room before you step on campus. Last, but most importantly Gift Getter is a gift registry for decking out your dorm room and going back to school in style. Just will out your wishlist and share it with your friends and relatives and (hopefully) the gifts will start rolling in.

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Now that you have figured out what time your child should be going to sleep, work backwards from there to allow 30-60 minutes for the bedtime routine. The bedtime routine is important because it gives the child the cues he needs to settle himself down and prepare for sleep. A sample bedtime routine includes 1 or both parent participating in…
• bath time
• brush teeth
• go potty
• story time
• prayers
• lights out (parent leaves the room)
• [tweak the above so that it fits your family and is age appropriate]

The next part is where it gets difficult for most parents. Except in cases of infants who wake for nighttime feedings, illness and night terrors, the child is in bed for the night. They shouldn’t get up for a drink, another hug, “I can’t sleep” etc. This is where most parents fail the bedtime routine-and if they would just stick with it a week or two their life would be so much more blissful. If the child comes out of their room (this is not a time for conversation keep it simple)…

• 1st time-give them a hug an “I love you.” and walk them back to bed
• 2nd time-give them a hug and walk them back to bed (no talking)
• 3rd time-walk them back to bed (no hug, no talking)
• Depending on their age when you begin this routine, they may really push you the first few nights. I know of parents who have sat in the doorway of their child’s room (without talking with the child) so that the child will stay in bed, even if they cry and whimper for a while, they can and will eventually self-pacify and learn that the sooner they relax and go to sleep the better it is.

Consistency is the key to all parenting. In bedtime you need to be consistent in the bedtime and the bedtime routine. Kids of all ages need bedtimes that allow them to get the sleep their body needs. Purchase cool kids beds for your children so that they’ll love their bedroom.

What does your child’s bedtime routine consist of? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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