Bedtime Routines Aren’t Just for Toddlers! #Sponsored

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions expressed belong to the author.

My evenings used to look like this: a mad dash home, battles over homework, dinner preparation, and maybe a load of laundry or two, while answering emails, calling the kids to eat (once, twice, three times the charm!), then the dreaded dishes, before I plopped myself down on the sofa to work some more or maybe watch a show with one of my sons. We didn’t have a set time for bed so we sat there until I eventually looked up and screamed for someone to get into the shower, before finally (thankfully!), it was lights out.

Just replaying the above scenario puts me on edge.

Thankfully, our evenings are a lot calmer. We’ve simplified our lives. Routines have helped tremendously. They help us connect. And, they help us unwind.

Now you’ll always find at least one of my sons in the kitchen. I meal prep which makes it easier to get dinner on the table. On school days, this extra time allows me to help with homework and test prep. On other days, it gives us time to connect and catch-up. But the greatest benefit has been in our bedtime routines.

Bedtime routines aren’t just for toddlers!

We went back to basics. We used the same routines I established when they were toddlers. And, it worked! That first good night’s rest was A-MAZ-ING. It felt like the heavens had opened and rained manna. It was that good.

Here’s how we did it.

Set the Tone

We shut off the television. No more evening news. Now, we listen to music. It sets the tone for the evening. Added bonus: it’s allowed my sons and I to connect in a way we hadn’t before!

Eating Late Disrupts Sleep (And Your Health!)

According to science, eating late at night can disrupt your sleep cycle, make you gain weight and affect your memory. Our last meal of the day should happen before 8 p.m. since we go to bed by 11 p.m. This gives our bodies three hours to digest its meal; thus, allowing our body to follow its natural sleep cycles.

Let Your Worries Float Away

Our bath time is sacred. It’s the final piece of our bedtime routine and one of the most vital. We use Ivory Clean, a gentle soap free from dyes and heavy perfumes, making it great for baths and sensitive skin. Ivory helps us simplify our routines. While soaking, we tend to let our mind drift, float, so we can head to bed, relaxed and refreshed.

Before bathing, set the tone with dimmed lights and candles (battery operated), and a book or music. Use Ivory Clean Body Wash to create some bubbles and meditate. It has a new look, but it’s still the same trusted brand I once used as a little niñita.

Our sense of smell is so tied to memory, that the smell of Ivory soap transports me to my family’s apartamento in the Bronx. For three generations my family used Ivory bar soap. It’s smell brings back memories of calmer, happier times. Memories I want my own sons to carry.

Bedtime Routines Aren’t Just for Toddlers! It worked for us and it will work for you. Setting, and sticking to a bedtime schedule, as much as possible will help your family avoid tossing and turning so that they can wake up refreshed and ready to conquer the day!

Do you have a bedtime routine? Have you incorporated any of these steps into it?

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Times have changed since 1879, but more than ever we need brands that are safe and gentle enough for our families. Ivory is that brand. For three generations my family has used Ivory’s original soap bar. Its smell brings back memories of calmer, happier times. Memories I want my own sons to have.