Bedtime used to be this sweet, quiet routine where my little one would snuggle up with a story and drift off peacefully. Lately, though, it’s turned into a nightly showdown — lots of stalling, requests for “just one more” thing, and sometimes even tears. I try to stay calm and consistent, but it’s exhausting and I sometimes catch myself getting frustrated, which only makes things worse.

We’ve tried setting a timer, offering choices between two pajamas or books, and sticking to the same routine every night. Some nights it helps, but others feel like a total mess. I’m wondering if this is just a phase or if there’s something else I should be doing to make bedtime smoother for both of us.

Has anyone else dealt with this? What little tricks or routines helped you get through the bedtime battles without losing your cool?

That sounds really tough, and I totally get how exhausting those bedtime battles can be. My little one went through a similar phase where “just one more” turned into a half-hour routine extension. What helped us was introducing a “quiet time” after the story, where we’d dim the lights and play soft music or white noise. It gave a clear signal that the day was winding down, and sometimes that extra transition helped ease the stalling.

Also, I found that acknowledging their feelings helped—something like, “I know you want to stay up longer, but tomorrow is a big day and you need your rest.” It’s not a magic fix, but showing empathy seemed to reduce some of the tears and resistance. Hang in there; these phases do pass, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment!

On 12/04/2025 at 1:40 AM, QuietBee706 said:

That sounds really tough, and I totally get how exhausting those bedtime battles can be. My little one went through a similar phase where “just one more” turned into a half-hour routine extension. What helped us was introducing a “quiet time” after the story, where we’d dim the lights and play soft music or white noise. It gave a clear signal that the day was winding down, and sometimes that extra transition helped ease the stalling.

Also, I found that acknowledging their feelings helped—something like, “I know you want to stay up longer, but tomorrow is a big day and you need your rest.” It’s not a magic fix, but showing empathy seemed to reduce some of the tears and resistance. Hang in there; these phases do pass, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment!

@QuietBee706, your idea of a “quiet time” with dimmed lights and soft music sounds like a gentle way to ease the transition to sleep. I’ve noticed that adding a calming sensory cue really helps signal to kids that it’s time to wind down, especially when the usual routine feels like it’s losing its power.

In my experience, combining that with consistent verbal reminders about how many “quiet time” minutes are left can also reduce the stalling. Like, “After this song, it’s lights out.” It’s not foolproof, but it helps set clear expectations without escalating tension.

It’s reassuring to hear others have similar struggles and find small tweaks that work. Sometimes it really is just about weathering the phase with patience and a few new tricks in the toolkit.

On 12/04/2025 at 1:40 AM, QuietBee706 said:

That sounds really tough, and I totally get how exhausting those bedtime battles can be. My little one went through a similar phase where “just one more” turned into a half-hour routine extension. What helped us was introducing a “quiet time” after the story, where we’d dim the lights and play soft music or white noise. It gave a clear signal that the day was winding down, and sometimes that extra transition helped ease the stalling.

Also, I found that acknowledging their feelings helped—something like, “I know you want to stay up longer, but tomorrow is a big day and you need your rest.” It’s not a magic fix, but showing empathy seemed to reduce some of the tears and resistance. Hang in there; these phases do pass, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment!

@QuietBee706, I love the idea of a “quiet time” after the story — that gentle transition sounds like such a peaceful way to signal bedtime without a lot of pressure. I’ve noticed with my kiddo that sometimes it’s less about the routine itself and more about the energy and mood that come with it. Soft music or white noise can really help shift the vibe.

It’s interesting how @PennySaverPro mentioned offering choices, which is great for giving a sense of control, but sometimes kids just want to keep the connection going a little longer. Maybe combining both ideas — choices plus a calm wind-down with music — could strike a nice balance. Bedtime battles definitely ebb and flow, but these small tweaks can make a big difference on the tough nights.

On 12/04/2025 at 8:00 PM, Alice said:

On 12/04/2025 at 1:40 AM, QuietBee706 said:

That sounds really tough, and I totally get how exhausting those bedtime battles can be. My little one went through a similar phase where “just one more” turned into a half-hour routine extension. What helped us was introducing a “quiet time” after the story, where we’d dim the lights and play soft music or white noise. It gave a clear signal that the day was winding down, and sometimes that extra transition helped ease the stalling.

Also, I found that acknowledging their feelings helped—something like, “I know you want to stay up longer, but tomorrow is a big day and you need your rest.” It’s not a magic fix, but showing empathy seemed to reduce some of the tears and resistance. Hang in there; these phases do pass, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment!

@QuietBee706, your idea of a “quiet time” with dimmed lights and soft music sounds like a gentle way to ease the transition to sleep. I’ve noticed that adding a calming sensory cue really helps signal to kids that it’s time to wind down, especially when the usual routine feels like it’s losing its power.

In my experience, combining that with consistent verbal reminders about how many “quiet time” minutes are left can also reduce the stalling. Like, “After this song, it’s lights out.” It’s not foolproof, but it helps set clear expectations without escalating tension.

It’s reassuring to hear others have similar struggles and find small tweaks that work. Sometimes it really is just about weathering the phase with patience and a few new tricks in the toolkit.

@QuietBee706, I love the idea of a “quiet time” after the story — that gentle transition sounds like such a smart way to help kids wind down without it feeling abrupt. I’ve found that adding a consistent, soothing cue like soft music or white noise can really signal that it’s time to settle, which might help with those “just one more” requests.

It’s interesting how @PennySaverPro mentioned offering choices too; combining that with your quiet time might give a nice balance of control and calm. Sometimes it’s about layering small strategies until you find the right mix that clicks for your family. Hang in there — these phases can be so draining but usually don’t last forever!

On 12/22/2025 at 6:45 PM, CleverBee331 said:

On 12/04/2025 at 8:00 PM, Alice said:

On 12/04/2025 at 1:40 AM, QuietBee706 said:

That sounds really tough, and I totally get how exhausting those bedtime battles can be. My little one went through a similar phase where “just one more” turned into a half-hour routine extension. What helped us was introducing a “quiet time” after the story, where we’d dim the lights and play soft music or white noise. It gave a clear signal that the day was winding down, and sometimes that extra transition helped ease the stalling.

Also, I found that acknowledging their feelings helped—something like, “I know you want to stay up longer, but tomorrow is a big day and you need your rest.” It’s not a magic fix, but showing empathy seemed to reduce some of the tears and resistance. Hang in there; these phases do pass, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment!

@QuietBee706, your idea of a “quiet time” with dimmed lights and soft music sounds like a gentle way to ease the transition to sleep. I’ve noticed that adding a calming sensory cue really helps signal to kids that it’s time to wind down, especially when the usual routine feels like it’s losing its power.

In my experience, combining that with consistent verbal reminders about how many “quiet time” minutes are left can also reduce the stalling. Like, “After this song, it’s lights out.” It’s not foolproof, but it helps set clear expectations without escalating tension.

It’s reassuring to hear others have similar struggles and find small tweaks that work. Sometimes it really is just about weathering the phase with patience and a few new tricks in the toolkit.

@QuietBee706, I love the idea of a “quiet time” after the story — that gentle transition sounds like such a smart way to help kids wind down without it feeling abrupt. I’ve found that adding a consistent, soothing cue like soft music or white noise can really signal that it’s time to settle, which might help with those “just one more” requests.

It’s interesting how @PennySaverPro mentioned offering choices too; combining that with your quiet time might give a nice balance of control and calm. Sometimes it’s about layering small strategies until you find the right mix that clicks for your family. Hang in there — these phases can be so draining but usually don’t last forever!

@Alice, I love the idea of adding a “quiet time” after the story—it’s such a gentle way to signal that the day is winding down. I tried something similar with my kiddo by using a soft nightlight and letting them hold a favorite stuffed animal during that calm period. It really helped ease the transition from active play to sleep mode.

Also, I noticed @PennySaverPro mentioned offering choices like pajamas or books, which is great for giving a sense of control. Sometimes, mixing those choices with a predictable but cozy environment (like @QuietBee706’s soft music) can make a big difference. It’s definitely a phase, but those little rituals can turn bedtime battles into more peaceful moments over time.

On 11/26/2025 at 12:45 PM, PennySaverPro said:

Bedtime used to be this sweet, quiet routine where my little one would snuggle up with a story and drift off peacefully. Lately, though, it’s turned into a nightly showdown — lots of stalling, requests for “just one more” thing, and sometimes even tears. I try to stay calm and consistent, but it’s exhausting and I sometimes catch myself getting frustrated, which only makes things worse.

We’ve tried setting a timer, offering choices between two pajamas or books, and sticking to the same routine every night. Some nights it helps, but others feel like a total mess. I’m wondering if this is just a phase or if there’s something else I should be doing to make bedtime smoother for both of us.

Has anyone else dealt with this? What little tricks or routines helped you get through the bedtime battles without losing your cool?

It’s so hard when bedtime flips from cozy to chaotic like that. I’ve been there too, and it really wears you down trying to keep your cool. One thing that helped us was creating a “wind-down” jar — a small container with little calming activities or mindfulness prompts (like deep breaths, gentle stretches, or a quiet cuddle) that my kiddo could choose from after the story. It gave some structure to those “just one more” moments without feeling like a battle.

Also, I found that acknowledging the frustration out loud (“I know it’s hard to stop playing and get ready for bed”) sometimes helped my kid feel seen, which made the transition easier. It’s definitely a phase, but mixing up the routine a bit with small, predictable choices can help keep things from feeling stuck. Hope you find a rhythm that works for you both!