Hot tips for getting your kid to go to sleep

1. One time as I was tucking her into bed, I told Edie that she had to go to sleep and that if she got out of bed and asked for something after getting tucked in, I wouldn't be there because I had to go to the store.  I reassured her that if she needed something, that I'd asked our neighbor *Dave to come over and he'd come up and help her if she needed something.  She totally believed me and there was not a peep from that room until morning.  Sadly, this tip is a bit of a one trick pony.

2. We have instituted "cool down time" at our house. Ideally, we'd have Edie tucked in with lights out at 8pm.  This means that around 7:30, I ask Edie if she'd like to go to bed or if she'd rather have "cool down time".  She's 2, so she picks cool down time every time (obviously), clearly feeling like she's pulled a fast one on me.  During cool down time, we put the baby gate up in her bedroom doorway, keep her door open and let her play by herself in her room for 15 minutes.  Then we go up, do the pjs/toothbrushing/potty/reading thing before tucking her in. Many times, this allows her to feel that she got the bedtime stalling out of the way BEFORE bedtime. Other times, it does not work at all and she tries for Cool Down Time: Round 2.  This is therefore more of a warm tip than a "hot tip" as advertised.

3. Bribe her with something you were going to let her have/do anyways.  For example, tonight I told her that if she went to sleep without any fuss, we'd get to go swimming tomorrow morning.  Well, the burn's on Edie, because we're totally going swimming regardless of her bedtime antics tonight but she took me seriously and is definitely still awake up there, but is also definitely not requiring any extra glasses of water, trips to the potty, or for me to come up and witness her unicorns' 56th wedding (those stupid unicorns get married like every other night).

*disclaimer: Dave is a lovely pediatrician who lives next door.