How to make the preschooler tired enough to go to bed?

Question

She is 5 years old. Stays in daycare till 17 30. Sleeps in daycare from 14 00 to 15 00.

Watches TV from 18 00 to 19 30. After that she plays in the house on her own till 23 30.

We wake her up at 9 00. That is because she sleeps very late.

I want her to be sleepy by 21 00.

We share the bed and the room. Country is India.

Problem is she isn't sleepy. I believe that is because of lack of fatigue.

What can I do to such that she gets tired enough?

Answer 1

I have a 4 year old daughter and I can understand your problem. Here is what I can suggest.

1. Get rid of television. Instead of making her stop watching her favorite shows, you (& your partner) stop watching it completely. When she watches TV you read book, work on some craft or something which can attract her attention. Slowly slowly she will be less engaged with TV.
2. Go for a walk after dinner with her. 1 mile or so.
3. Take her help in cooking dinner & cleaning utensils. It can be quite enjoyable if it is done together.
4. 1 hr before bed, all family member sit down and discuss there plan for next day.
5. Try to drop her afternoon nap completely, but do not force that.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

Try one or all of these three methods:

1. Outdoors time is crucial for getting kids to burn their energy (and get tired). They can run around, bike, play with balls, jump, all things you cannot do indoors.
2. If you want a new routine, start with waking her up one hour earlier, at 8am. After a few days, wake her up even earlier, she will consequently also nap earlier and go to sleep at night earlier.
3. Try dropping her afternoon nap completely. Most kids drop it by the age of 3-4 (see here for signs that your toddler/child is ready to drop the afternoon nap: https://www.babysleepsite.com/toddlers/toddler-done-napping-3-signs/).

Answer 3

One thing that is not covered in other answers is dinner time. Aim to get done with dinner by 7/7:30. In India, generally, dinner is very late - 9/9:30. Get done with the whole "getting ready for bed" (brushing teeth, toilet, change into PJs/bath) by 8:00pm, and after that, its quiet time. She can stay in bed, and can read by herself. Lights off by 8:30. (Ballpark times, aim to get ready for bed an hour before bed time.)

I understand that the bedroom is shared. If the other adults cannot get to bed by that time, at least make sure that the bedroom is not used by others till the child is fast asleep. Keep the door closed, and the rest of the house relatively quiet (no TV, no excitement). I used to stay with my child in the bedroom till he fell asleep till he was 4 or so. I used to listen to something in my headphones, or work on my computer with very low display light. I would leave the room if my child got off the bed, so he stayed in bed.

Waking up the child earlier, along with a quiet time in the night will help the child to sleep.

Change will not happen in a few days. You will have to enforce the new routine for a few weeks before it becomes a habit. Make sure other family members are on board for the new plan - it is for better habits for the child, better functioning of the family.

Answer 4

Watches TV from 18 00 to 19 30. After that she plays in the house on her own till 23 30.

A preschooler needs about 10-12 hours of sleep a night. You need to put them in a dark quiet room for 10-12 hours a night. I'm not getting how you fit a late dinner into that, unless the child wakes up very late. If you kid needs to be at day care around 9:00, you are going to have to get her dinner earlier so she can go to sleep around 7:00-8:00.

But whatever time you decide to start that 10-12 hours, stick to it. You might need to keep the house quiet and dark at that time for a few days, so she knows she isn't missing anything fun, until the habit is established.

Sorry, there is no magic (but do cut out the evening TV time; screen time so close to bedtime will induce wakefulness). You just have to be the parent and set a healthy schedule, and insist that she follows it.