How to Create a Bedtime Routine in Your New Home

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Our bedtime routine has gotten a little more complicated since we moved to a larger home in Atlanta last month. We packed up and moved right as the school year was ending and our six-year-old A.J. was getting ready for gifted testing before he moved to the first grade. (His scores were amazing, BTW!) With all these new changes and adjustments, I noticed he’s a little more clingy when it’s time to turn the lights out and go to bed.  He’s lived in the same bedroom from the moment he came home from the hospital and now he’s in a whole new environment.

 

Create a Bedtime Routine

Create a New Bedtime Routine in Your New Home

If you’re moving or making any major family changes, I’ll walk you through our new bedtime routine, suggest some changes and offer a printable to spark a conversation with your children.

Pre-Plan Bedtime

Our bedtime routine begins right after dinner.

We do baths immediately after we eat, watch a little TV (our new favorite is Family Feud) and check the clock.

This summer he’s been allowed to stay up a bit later, around 8:30 p.m., so I’ll let him know around 7:30 that he has another hour before it’s time to brush his teeth, wash his face and turn in!

Then I countdown from there with 30 minute and 10 minute warnings. It gives him time to do anything that’s last-minute, ask for another snack or extra cuddles before bedtime.

Same Time, Same Manner

When you move to a new home, keeping a routine is pretty difficult. But if you can keep your children to the same bedtime it’ll keep everyone on the same schedule.

Be flexible and don’t stress if it takes a week or two to get back on track.

A.J. knows when I turn out his bedroom ceiling light, plugin his Spiderman nightlight, then get my bedtime kisses, the we says his memorized bedtime prayer and the Lord’s prayer.

A.J. Reading

Bring Back Memories

A.J. can look around his new bedroom and see many of his old “friends” are still here. His initials are still over his bed. His stuffed animals are here too.

You’ll notice he’s still sleeping in his crib as a “day bed” style. Well he’s a very wild sleeper. We were a bit reluctant to move him to a much bigger full bed at the same time we moved. Mid-summer, we’ll make another adjustment so he can get used to the bigger bed before he starts his school year as a first grader.

 

A.J. Initials Bedroom

 

Create a New Space

Even though A.J.’s new bedroom is a little smaller than his old one, I wanted to create a new space for him to hang out when he needs some quiet time.

I create a “book nook” by bringing his lounge chair from our living room to his bedroom and placing it near his book shelf.

Invest in a few new books about bedtime too.

 

GoodNites at CVS

 

Prepare for Bedwetting Accidents

I wasn’t prepared for a bedwetting accident considering how easily A.J. potty trained overnight when he was three years old. But the week after we moved, he wet the bed.

Don’t be caught off guard if your child has a bedwetting accident in your new home. They may be more reluctant to get up and potty by themselves in a new environment.

He explained to me that he remembered dreaming about going potty and woke up when he wet the bed. I reminded him that bed wetting happens to all of us from time to time.

My exact words: “The same thing happened to me when I was about 10 years old. I dreamed I was on the toilet peeing!”

He was immediately relieved to know he wasn’t in trouble.

Grab GoodNites® Bedtime Pants on your next visit to CVS. For A.J. it wasn’t hard to convince him to get them a try.  One of his favorite Marvel characters, Iron Man,  is on the package! They feel just like regular underwear – except they offer five later protection and offer outstanding pajama protection.

You’ll find a variety of cool designs like Iron Man (small/medium) or camo print and skateboards (large/extra-large).

Girls will find a Disney’s Cinderella (small-medium) or hearts and butterflies (large/extra-large) for girls.

[Tweet “Follow @GoodNites® for advice on your family’s bedtime routine #RestEasyWithCVS #AD”]

 

GoodNites Iron Man

Ask for Suggestions

As parents, we automatically think we are experts at bedtime. That’s not always the case. To gauge what your children need when it’s time to wind down for bedtime, I created this Printable Bedtime Routine Survey that asks key questions about their needs. If your children are anything like A.J., he wants to be with us as much as possible. Bedtime for him isn’t a “relaxing” time. Since he’s an only child, he sometimes views it as a lonely experience.

 

New Bedtime Routine

Here are the questions I included in the Bedtime Routine Survey:

What do you like MOST about bedtime?

What do you like LEAST about bedtime?

What would you change about bedtime?

I LOVE going to bed when ___________________.
My NEW bedtime should be __________________.

Then I left space for overall suggestions.

 

GoodNites Marvel Characters

Watch me & A.J. answer questions for the BedTime Routine Survey in this Instagram video:

 

Comment below: How do you handle bedwetting and bathroom issues with your children who are four and over? How often do you adjust to a new bedtime routine? Learn more about GoodNites® Bedtime Pants and get insight on overnight bedwetting solutions.

In case you missed it, I also shared 5 HelpfulWebsites to Check When You Move to a New Neighborhood and 10 Common Moving Mistakes to Avoid.

 

Common Moving Mistakes

About Joyce Brewer

Creator & Host of Mommy Talk Show. Emmy award-winning TV journalist.Wife & Mommy; Mom Blogger; Social Media Coach; Long Island, New York transplant living in Atlanta, GA. Follow Joyce on Twitter @MommyTalkShow Author of Use What You Know: A Business Idea Guide for Moms featuring interviews with mompreneurs who created businesses using their skills & backgrounds.

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22 comments

  1. What a great list of routines to have in place for bedtime.

  2. I love this, once I had a routine in place for bedtime with my two sons it went so much smoother and now is just habit 😉

  3. It was quite an adjustment when we bought a new house. It took a few weeks, but being consistent with routine really helped!

  4. These are some really good strategies. The transition doesn’t have to be difficult if you’re prepared!

  5. These are such wonderful tips. I think they are great not just for people who have moved, but for bedtime routines in general.

  6. I remember these days. It’s been a few years since we moved. But routine routine routine was the biggest help for us

  7. Keeping a bedtime routine is a great way to transition into a new home. Goodnights are a great way to help kids feel more confident at bedtime.

  8. This looks like a very informative article.
    I have heard that children need structure and routine.

  9. I think having a routine is extremely important, especially when children go through a big change, such as a move or a new sibling. Making sure they feel comfortable and confident is key!

  10. Such a great list of routines. I hope I can apply this to my son

  11. My son loves routine. He never sleeps if we don’t read a book to him before bedtime.

  12. Aj’s got a nice room. I wholeheartedly support this post’s cause for sharing things about exercising routines. That’s how kids grow up effectively in a world that requires discipline everywhere.

  13. That’s a great printable! It’s so important to establish a nightly routine to help make going to bed go more smoothly.

  14. I think having a bedtime routine is one of the smartest things ever in parenting. It has always helped us keep our sanity!

  15. One of my kids has trouble with change and when we moved, they struggled with bedwetting. It can also be a problem when we travel, so I make sure to always have some Goodnights in our suitcase so it’s not embarrassing!

  16. Routine is so important for being familiar even when you are in a new place. I love all of this advice for making a move easier for children.

  17. Chrysa Kieke Duran

    Change can be scary even for adults. For a child, it can be even worse. Sometimes they feel so uncomfortable that they just need some normalcy like this at bedtime.

  18. It is important to have that routine down. Kids need it, and I think we parents do too. 🙂 Always important to have that wet protection too! I love that the Goodnites have an Iron Man theme!

  19. Countdown warnings are big for us… that leads us to bath, teeth, potty, reading and lights out.

  20. The survey is a great idea on gaining insight as to what your child thinks about bedtime or what problems there might be. Thanks for sharing!

  21. Cute survey.

    I’m glad his scores were good. Lookout first grade! 🙂

  22. Perfect timing for this post. We’re moving into our new home next week, and while we have been floating from temp living to tent living and back to temp living, I’m concerned about my youngest as she struggles with change. I’ll be keeping this post in mind as we transition into the new house.