Bedtime can be the most challenging time of the day for a couple of reasons. First, kids don't get tired, they get wired, which means they are more likely to be wild, aggressive, teary, cranky or just plain silly when it’s time to settle down and go to sleep.

It’s also a time when we’re totally exhausted as parents. Our patience is low and we are often just looking forward to a little down time (if we're lucky)–and we see it ticking away. It’s the hardest time to stay neutral, but getting exasperated and angry just escalates things. Here are 10 tricks to make bedtimes go better:
 

Catch the sleep window

Getting kids to bed too late can make bedtimes a nightmare. Starting early means catching that optimum sleep window where kids settle faster and fall asleep sooner. (If you wait for kids to appear tired, you’ve missed the window!)
 

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• Divide and conquer >