Taming Bedtime Battles: How a Timer + Reward Chart Saved Our Nights

This dynamic duo gave us our nighttime routine flow back.

Bed time has never been easy in this household but, once we hit three the objection became more intense. If you have a toddler, especially a threenager, you know once they learn they can say no, it becomes a fan favorite. Bed time would sometime take an hour or more and I knew something needed to change. I wanted to prioritize his sleep and also ensure my mental sanity was preserved. I spoke to my therapist about my struggles (this is how serious it got, it took my precious therapy time) and she actually suggested the reward chart and timer. I ran to Amazon in hopes this could be our solution and I was so surprised with our results.

Below is the Reward Chart I purchased:

This was an Amazon Prime purchase of course ( I needed that two day shipping). Due to his age, we don’t use a “larger” reward other than the stickers themselves. Of course as he gets older, I’m sure the “number of stickers” and “reward” section will be utilized to be more enticing! For now, I allow him to pick his sticker from the provided sticker book from the back of the reward chart and place it. I also purchased stickers from the dollar store just to add variety and excitement!

As for the Visual Timer this is the one I picked:

I loved the dinosaur design and the cute facial details as well. Anything that can make it more fun for your kiddo is the goal, right?! This timer has a colorful countdown screen that is engaging and shows them how much time is left with the dots displayed. Rather than them being unsure when the alarm will go off, they now have a visual representation. For us, this has eliminated the anger and tantrums that came with transitioning. Bed time is always a fragile time due to exhaustion so this keeps us on track.

It may not be the cure all for your bed time wars but it surely is worth a shot. Sometimes letting toddlers feel like they are in control ( or the illusion they are) can keep the peace. They recognize they have a voice and choices now so, it is your job to trick them into making them think it IS their choice. They are almost like tricky trolls you need to get by to get under the bridge but in this case, it's to get to bed time! Good luck!