*AD – This article contains gifted products
It’s Christmas Eve and understandably, the kids are incredibly wild. There’s been laughter, squabbling, screams of excitement, and rude songs (from Greg, not Emma). If I didn’t have a bedtime plan, I’d be worried about how I could get these feral kids to sleep.
Thankfully (and I hate to boast), I think I’ve pretty much cracked how to get the little monsters to wind down. It’s not even a very sophisticated system! In my experience, the high of spending all day very excited, combined with their crazy antics like running on the spot and jumping off all your furniture generally wears them out.
Wearing them out, is half the job. Then all you need is a Christmas Eve kit.
We were sent our Christmas Eve kit this year by the lovely people at Room to Grow. They’re a fab company to use for kitting out children’s bedrooms and have so much more than just kids beds for sale. You can get everything you could possibly need, including children’s desks, lamps, storage and more!
Your Christmas Eve Sleep Kit Checklist
You don’t even need to spend a lot, it’s more about the feeling of cosiness than anything else. This is what you need for a cosy Christmas Eve pre-bedtime wind down.
- Hot chocolate (preferably with marshmallows.
- Clean PJs, warmed on the radiator.
- Calm lighting.
- A cosy blanket .
- A book to read together.
Executing your Christmas Eve Pre-Bedtime Plan
I’ve found a bath does wonders for calming kids down, especially after a long day of excitement. This bath isn’t about getting clean, so a fun bath will do. Warm PJs on the radiator to give a cosy feeling when they put them on.
Next, turn off the TV, dim the lights and wrap them up on the sofa. now that Emma is ten we let her stay up longer than Greg, but she still joins in with the ritual.
Make a hot chocolate for added cosiness. We’re a big fan of marshmallows on ours but add whatever you prefer, like lots of cream!
Once you’ve settled down with your cosy room with a tasty hot drink, it’s time to enjoy a story together. It doesn’t need to be a new book, an old favourite is always good too. We received The Night Before Christmas in our Christmas Eve kit, which we didn’t actually own, so we were really pleased.
It’s a story everyone knows and is very fitting for this evening! Greg has just learned to read and is insistent on reading to us. We’ll be reading him another book once we’re got him in bed.
Clean sheets are a must. Nothing beats the feeling of clean sheets, especially when you’re wearing toasty pyjamas and you’ve got a belly full of hot chocolate!
The children were sent their very own personalised pillowcases, to make bedtime extra special.
One for Greg, and one for Emma. Both will be using them tonight.
Once your children are settled in bed and have had their final story, sleep should come easily – despite their excitement. They’ll have worn themselves out all day and your pre-bedtime ritual will have calmed them down long enough to be feeling sleepy.
Now all that’s left to do is tiptoe away and pour yourself a glass of wine. You’ll have a little bit of time to yourself to relax before all the madness starts tomorrow. I hope your day starts sometime after 4 a.m., but preferably after 7!
If you’ve been looking for some festive things to do Durham Christmas Market might be right up your street!
If getting your child to settle is a common occurrence, you might like to read this review of the Dream Pillow, a new concept to help focus your child at bed time.
You’ll also love this article: 11 Things I’ve Learned in 11 Years of Parenting