Routines are so important to us. We knew before we had kids that routines would be a big part of our family life as well. We started right when Liam was born putting him on a routine and honestly never looked back. It is not necessarily easy or popular to get (and keep) your kids in a good routine but I assure you they will thank you!
How To Get (And Keep) Your Kids In A Good Routine
Start early: We put our kids on a schedule and routine immediately coming home from the hospital. They’ve always had roughly the same bedtime, same routine during the day, same routines for eating, bedtime, etc. They know what to expect and routine is comforting for children. It provides security.
Set boundaries: This is big. Our family knows we keep our kids on a schedule they know if they do dinner at 7 PM our kids will not go. We have dealt with some questions and some comments and that’s fine. This is what works for our family and it’s OK if it doesn’t work for everyone.
Say no when you need to: We say no a lot. When it involves the kids (mostly Charlotte) needing to stay up way past bedtime especially. Now there is the occasion where we will do it. For example, back in June, we drove to Houston for our nephew’s 2nd birthday and we drove there and back in one day. The kids did not sleep in the car and didn’t go to bed till after 9. That is the RARE occasion. If something doesn’t work for our schedule or kids’ routine we say no.
Know how to adjust: If we travel or if things do change we really try not to deviate TOO much but of course some things have to be adjusted. When we went to Disney we obviously had a completely different environment, schedule, and routine. So we tried to prepare the kids as best as we could before. We also kept routines the same even if we were in a different environment and the timing was different.
We did the same and started on a routine very early. Now my boys are 7 and 9 and still are in their rooms by 7 most nights. We will make exceptions, such as once per week for Cub Scouts, but otherwise, we don’t do things late either. And when they were younger and napping we didn’t interrupt naptime.
I do keep the kids in a routine especially now that we are back to school. Routines can be easily disrupted but by setting boundaries, it becomes easier.
Yap! It’s very essential to have a good routine for our kids to follow as this will develop into good habits that will benefit them in the future. A sample would be keeping their bed every morning!
These are great tips. Routine is so important for kids. Not only does it keep them on track, but it also helps them feel safe.
This is something that I need to get my kids into again. With the summer, we lost our routine.
We did the same and started on a routine very early. Now my boys are 7 and 9 and still are in their rooms by 7 most nights. We will make exceptions, such as once per week for Cub Scouts, but otherwise, we don’t do things late either. And when they were younger and napping we didn’t interrupt naptime.
I do keep the kids in a routine especially now that we are back to school. Routines can be easily disrupted but by setting boundaries, it becomes easier.
I can’t keep myself in a routine never mind any kids. We do try but working shifts does take its toll.
Thanks for the tips. This is actually one of my current challenges as a parent, establishing a routine with my kids.
Yap! It’s very essential to have a good routine for our kids to follow as this will develop into good habits that will benefit them in the future. A sample would be keeping their bed every morning!
Saying no is sometimes tricky with kids. And establishing a routine is really important and will help them throughout their life.
Nnniiiccceeee…I do try to keep them in good routines, yes. I hope they appreciate my efforts.