what do you tell your child(ren) when you put them to bed?

[eagle]

i remember reading something really super duper sweet several months ago and i was going to try to start doing it BUT i forgot what it was.

if you have a ritual phrase, can you kindly share it with me? but only if you want to!

thanks so much in advance!

[goldenpig]

I sing a simple little song "Good night DD, good night DS, good night children, it's time to go to sleep. Sweet dreams DD, sweet dreams DS, sweet dreams children, we'll see you in the morning." I don't know what the name of the tune is but it was something they sang at her swim class and I just changed the lyrics. Then I tuck her in and kiss her and say "Good night, sweet dreams, I love you, see you in the morning." (DS still gets nursed to sleep mostly). I love having a ritual but it has to be simple or else I won't remember! Recently she started learning some Mandarin so she likes to say "Good night" and "I love you mama" in Mandarin--so cute!

[hillview]

I say "I love you to the end of the universe and back infinity times good night"
/hillary

[maestramommy]

"Okay, go to sleep, no talking!" :p

We do kiss them goodnight, and say, "I love you." It's just not the last thing that comes out of our mouths before we leave the room. :loveeyes:

[Melaine]

I pray for each of them separately and kiss and hug them both and say "I love you". THey blow kisses until I leave. DH just says i love you and goodnight.

[7pages]

We are Catholic and this is what I do--I make the sign of the cross on their foreheads, and say "May the Lord bless you with peace, close your eyes in restful sleep and wake you with joy in the morning" and a good night and an I love you!

[bubbaray]

Good night. I love you.

And to DD#2: stay in bed!

[elephantmeg]

we do devotions/pray (still in the reading chair in the living room) and do "now I lay me" there. And when we tuck them in I say "good night, sleep tight, mommy loves you" and kiss them. My parents did the "good night/sleep tight/see you in the morning light"

[elephantmeg]

lol! Or our variation-the first person to get out of bed is going to be in BIG TROUBLE"!


Good night. I love you.

And to DD#2: stay in bed!

[Katigre]

"Goodnight. I love you and God loves you so much."

[mom2binsd]

We still do the following (DD is now 8 but like the routine)...

Sing Lullaby song, sort of made up, and can be sung very quickly

Then "I LOVE YOU", with kiss

Then Prayer "Now I lay me down to sleep....." and another kiss.

It's what works and they both feel comforted by it!

[s7714]

Read story, sing lullaby of choice to each DD, then hugs and kisses before "good night, I love you, sweet dreams." Usually followed with "no playing--go to sleep!" ;)

[crl]

DS is 7. We read, we take turns saying something we are grateful for, I pray out loud, he asks random questions until I say "no more questions," say "I love you and good night." Sometimes I have to repeat "no more questions."

DD is 14 months. I kiss her, put her in her crib, and say, "good night, I love you."

Catherine

[lhafer]

DD1 is 5yrs old and every single night it HAS to go like this (or she will get up in the middle of the night crying and upset that we forgot to do x,y,z...):

DH reads her a story.
He tells her good night and he loves her.
She asks what he's going to dream about...he makes something up.
She tells him what she will dream about (usually something about unicorns).
He says good night again and Don't let the bedbugs bite.
She says "I won't! You either!!"
He says "I won't! I love you, good night!".

And I have to go through the exact same routine with her (minus reading the story part) after he's finished.

And this is verbatim. Every night. And even if you don't say all the words about bedbugs, dreams, etc - she will do it for you, and answer herself!! Yes, she's slightly OCD!!!

With DD2, she's 15 months old. I rock her in her room for a bit, hum her a lullaby, and put her in her crib. I stroke her head, say I love you and Good night.

[Pyrodjm]

"Good Night DD1, You are a good girl and I love you more than anything. I will see you tomorrow. Do not get up."
This is after we read, say prayers and cuddle.

[buddyleebaby]

I give them hugs and kisses and tell them something they did that day that made me proud.

Then I say:

Good night, sleep tight
Sweet dreams the whole night.
Wake up bright
in the morning light
to do what's right
with all your might.

Then I say "I love you" in some variation.

[Elilly]

I tell them that I love them to heaven and back and that I hope they have sweet dreams.

[carolinamama]

For DS1, we basically give him a kiss and tell him we love him. Then we add a threat about staying in bed. Seriously. He loves to get up very quietly and get into things while we think he's in bed. He's more independent.

For DS2, he likes sweet things. We sing twinkle, twinkle and then I sing a little jingle that I made up about going to sleep back when DS1 was a baby. He doesn't like it anymore, but I can see DS2 eating it up for years to come. Then he likes us to hug and kiss him over and over. He's our cuddle bug to say the least.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Sleep well. I love you.

Beth

[wendibird22]

With DD1 I sing Twinkle Twinkle and Eidelweiss and then say "I love you to the moon and back."

[lmh2402]

same thing every single night. i put him in his crib. cover him up and we both kiss all his guys good night.

then i say:

"now i lay me down to sleep
i pray the Lord my soul to keep
may angels watch me through the night
and wake me with the morning light

"good night, DS
sweet dreams
God bless you
i love you..."

and then he yells, "SO MUCH!"

this is the exact same thing my parents told me and my siblings every night for years, when they were putting us to bed

anyway, then we do "big hugs" and "big kisses". and then then we both say "good night" and "love you" a few more times while i move toward the door.

on nights when someone else puts him to bed, it's close to 90% that he'll wake up crying/calling at some point, for me to come "tell (DS) bedtime love you"

[zoestargrove]

"Okay, go to sleep, no talking!" :p

We do kiss them goodnight, and say, "I love you." It's just not the last thing that comes out of our mouths before we leave the room. :loveeyes:

this sounds like most of our nights. I never thought of a routine saying or anything...we usually read or talk, but it's not the exact same every night.

[wimama]

DH and I each read to him individually and before I say good night I put my hand on his forehead and say a little prayer I made up when he was a baby and then I give him a final kiss good night.

[SpaceGal]

We just do the basic "good night I love you...I love you too...I love you too." The I love yous go back and forth a few times.

Simple hugs and kisses.

[ABO Mama]

All 3 boys sleep in the same room.

First read a chapter from a book (we're onto The Long Winter in the Little House series).
Next, turn off the lights and sing John Denver's Country Roads.
Then, a hug and kiss for each boy, with, "I love you my special boy."
Last, door closing night-night, night-night, night-night.
And usually, O, stay in bed!