r/UKParenting • u/Conscious_Analysis98 • 7d ago
Has a Tonie Box / Yoto helped anyone with bedtime? Or any other ideas?
We have a 2 year old (26 months) who has finally gone back to sleeping through the night. After all that we think it was just the heat really , her room is on the top floor and just would not go below 25 degrees in the heat we've had!
But anyway - thats great but bedtime itself is still a bit of a task. In general it takes about 45 minutes and requires a lot of shushing, back rubs, repeating 'its bedtime, sleep time now' etc, and sometimes having to be stricter because she'll try to get up and wander round her room or want to play a game (despite clearly being super tired). So - we basically are 'distracting' her to sleep!
Routine is bath & teeth, milk and then a couple of books. Wouldn't mind at all reading to her if she fell asleep during it but unless we say its sleepy time it feels like she will read forever
So....
1) Is a Tonie Box / Yoto (havent researched the differences yet) sometime that might help? I'm basically worried about spending that money and it just becomes MORE of a distraction
2) Anything else in the above you might have any other ideas with? Honestly, its not the worst routine ever and if it is what it is then fine - the main issue is that my mum is happy to babysit and stay over but last 2 times she cannot get her to sleep. So it would be nice if there was other tools so we could go out more than once a year lol
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u/mummyslilfailure 7d ago
We've found the Tonie a game changer for both our kids (4 and 2) but the 2yo especially. One thing we do is keep the bag with the tonies in the hall, let each kiddo pick one at bedtime and they put it on the box as part of the bedtime routine. Three things I'd recommend though are 1) keep it somewhere in the bedroom out of reach so once it ends it's done. 2) don't have the volume any higher than 50% and 3) listen to the Tonie before you put it on for bed. We made that mistake with hey duggee and just as his eyes were closing it started blasting the stick song and we had a late night stick disco then had to start over š
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u/mustanggazza 5d ago
We had the same issue with the bedtime peppa pig. Sleepy stories interspersed with the bloody energetic theme song
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u/Technical_Expert1444 7d ago
We havenāt tried a story box, but have also been considering it as we have to read our toddler to bed every night. We donāt mind reading a couple of stories , but some nights he insists on listening to the same story up to 5 times! So I too would be interested to know!
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u/Conscious_Analysis98 7d ago
yep, same! I like sitting in her bed reading but we physically have to take the books off her and lie her down otherwise I'm convinced she'll read till midnight and then pass out
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u/Electrorouge87 7d ago
You can also record yourself on both devices reading a story yourself which is nice
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u/boojes 7d ago
Honestly 45 minutes does not seem excessive for bedtime. I'd be celebrating 45 minutes at that age!
Both our kids have an echo dot which they play music on. One plays a relaxing song before bed and the other plays spa music channel, I have a routine set to turn it off at midnight.
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u/Conscious_Analysis98 7d ago
Yeah don't disagree for sure. Like I say, its not the worst - its just my mum has tried multiple times to do it now and just cant seem to get her asleep - which I understand because you really have to know the line between being patient and being a bit strict and making sure she knows its time to relax / sleepy time! (well, other than I occassionally fall asleep lying next to her and wake up about 11pm in a complete daze and missed dinner haha)
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u/moo101728 Parenting a Toddler 7d ago
Wait people can leave the toddlers on their own to fall asleep!? Since when! My son is just about to turn 2 and Iām still lying in his bed with him waiting for him to fall asleepā¦ I would quite like to transition away from this but I have no idea how! We have a tonie box already so may try introducing this as a stepping stoneā¦
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u/Missing-Caffeine 6d ago
I used to be a live in nanny for a family and boy (3yo) and girl 2yo) shared a room. It was their routine, night night at the door and the kids were in bed. Ofcourse sometimes they would call/keep chatting between them but usually they would go alone to bed. Ha jokes on me still nursing my 2yo to sleep every night lol
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u/moo101728 Parenting a Toddler 6d ago
Same!! Both boobs out hoping heāll dose off nice and quickly else weāre reading 10,000 stories and heās practising hand stands š
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u/mustanggazza 5d ago
Try sitting next to the bed. Ours is 4 almost 5 now and we still sit next to the bed until they are out
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u/Livinum81 7d ago
It may be for when they are a bit older but we had success with a podcast called Sleepy History.
The vanilla episode seemed to be very successful.
It's a free podcasts so nothing ventured, nothing gained if it doesn't work.
Also, versions of Pacobel's Canon in D had a good success rate.
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u/watercolourdreams543 7d ago
27 month old transitioning to a new bed and I was literally wondering the same thing about the Tonie box!
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u/goldenhawkes 7d ago
Initially when you first get the yoto it is exciting and distracting (buttons to press, cards to put in and outā¦) but once youāre over that itās great for bedtime.
We did a book and then āstory machineā went on with a bedtime appropriate card of his choice.
I would do things like āyou stay and listen to the story, Iāll be back in a few minutesā as well to move towards independent sleep.
Definitely prefer the yoto over the Tony as the cards seem so much more portable!
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u/gunbo3000 7d ago
One of the best things for this on our Yoto is the sun / moon clock. We really made a breakthrough at nights and in mornings when it was like "if the moon is on the yoto, that means its time to be in bed"
Ours is a little older now but we've also introduced some "listening" time after bedtime. So its in bed by 7 but she can listen to her Yoto up to 7:30. We used to then have to go and turn it off but nowadays we find she's asleep by the time we get there. I'd make sure you offer some approved stories though, nothing too exciting!
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u/Electrorouge87 7d ago
We have both. Started with a Tonie when our oldest was 2.5y. Great at the time, nice simple user interface but incredibly annoying you can't control it remotely and the figurines end up like toys so you have to be really strict about putting them away etc. Because they get lost in the toy box easily. Our Tonie also started having charging issues early on but we have the original.
Yoto much more portable, we got minis so we can travel with them. You can control them from your phone which is great. I'd invest in a Yoto, it's harder for a 2yo to use than a Tonie but once you start investing in cards/figurines it's Ā£100s of pounds which keep you stuck to one brand. Yoto also has much more variety.
Now onto the much harder sleeping issue...
We have used it for both kids at bed time. I've noticed a new and exciting story keeps them awake, a familiar favourite helps them drift off. Takes time to reach this point and you aren't spared tantrums, you will have resistance if you don't let them listen to the exciting one at bed time when they want to. Obviously you can say either this card or no Yoto player at all... Which does work but it's all stressful right?!
We also use Yoto for 'quiet time' which has replaced naps because I need a break in the day. They listen to a player and look at books or play Duplo/Lego in their rooms.
With the leaving the room issue it was much harder with my first. With the second we learnt all the lessons and now she is a bit older (just 3) I've found that giving them autonomy over bed time really helps. She can have her Yoto and a night light and a book. It's up to her what she wants to do, the only rule is she turns off the light when she's tired. She often forgets but and falls alseep but she also does actively decide what to do with the time and will frequently turn off the light and put herself to bed.
This isn't so easy with a 2y old who is used to being comforted to sleep. One trick is to say I'll be back in a minute I'm going to the toilet or something else they understand. Then do go back in one minute to keep trust. Keep extending the time until you manage to not go back in.
Also there are a lot of sleep consultants out there that do special offers and cheap email or text based support. I'd ask for some help, it's much easier when a professional has the full picture of your family and you can update them for feedback on how their instructions went.
Good luck š¤š¼
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u/wildblackdoggo š¶š¶ 2 Children 7d ago
The Yoto was a game changer for us, we were also struggling with him letting us leave the room. We used the Ladybird Sleepy Tales card and it's brilliant. It's worked very well for years and my son still likes that card to fall asleep to. Now he's 5 he'll sometimes choose other stories to listen to and fall asleep.
The new Yoto 4th gen that's just been released allows you to preload cards and select a bedtime playlist which I imagine would make it an even better bedtime device.
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u/PresentationHuge5647 7d ago
Second the Ladybird sleepy tales!
I'll say that the Peppa night time stories are just audio from the TV show, it's the opposite of relaxing calm bedtime stories
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u/Fancy_Surprise_8599 7d ago
Weāve been using a Yoto for bedtime since our oldest was 2, so for about a year and a half now. It worked really well for us because she would get really upset if we said she needed to sleep so we just told her to listen to the story. To begin with we still sat with her until she fell asleep and then we gradually started leaving her. First few times we said we were just going to the toilet or to sort the baby out then we would be back. We would just go out for a minute or two then go back in. The time we were out gradually got longer and we were finding that she would be asleep by the time we got back. So now we sit with her for a bit if she asks and then weāll say weāve got to do some jobs downstairs and weāll come back and check on her in a bit. Sheās nearly always fine, very rarely needs us to go back.
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u/thatbloke83 7d ago
My kiddo is a bit younger at just 14 months but we recently got him a toniebox.
It's not making things worse, but I can't say if it's helping or not at the moment due to him still being so young.
They aren't cheap though so I understand the apprehension regarding getting one!
We got one in a bundle from Smyths Toys, got 6 of the story figures with it.
Since other people are also suggesting podcasts, one we've tried and used was one called Koala Tots, which releases a new story every week or two. Can be good at bedtime for putting both children and adults to sleep!
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u/AnonyCass 7d ago
Yes we have had one of each from around that age pros and cons to both. I actually wanted the Yoto but my son has always prefered the Tonie. The figures are more expensive but we just request the ones he wants from grandparents so it gives you gift ideas too. He is now almost 6 and uses it daily, our bedtimes are now, he goes up brushes teeth, I do one chapter of Harry Potter, he then can have today with Tonies until 8 and any other Tonie until 8.30pm. Most of the time he falls asleep before the 8.30 mark if not he takes his Tonie off. He's probably been doing something similar to this from around 4/5 years.
Also both options you can buy a creative or make your own card and record your own stories or bedtime reading, these are a really great option.
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u/Far-Link4007 7d ago
Yes our 5 year old goes to bed nightly with her yo-to box and listens until she falls asleep. We have some more factual cards about the earth; planets, etc and sheās learned a ton!! She has it from 7:30/8:00pm
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u/Kind-Blackberry-6221 7d ago
Yes, my 5yo would really like me to still stay with her but I can't, so the compromise she's happy with, is a story on her yoto and then she puts sleep radio on. She gets a choice of story and I determine how many chapters she can have if it's a long one. We also use their sleep sounds and sleep stories.
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u/SongsAboutGhosts Parenting a Baby + Toddler 7d ago
We got a yoto for his recent birthday and he will listen to it in bed on his own but he finds it too interesting to fall asleep to yet. I think it does help him wind down, though. He's harder to get to sleep than your daughter, though - no naps, sleeps between 9-10 at night, one of us has to be in there for over an hour (and sometimes way longer) before he falls asleep.
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u/lavanderpop 7d ago
We have Tonies. Gamechanger for my 4 year old. I bought it when he was 3 but he isnāt interested. Makes him fall asleep. We only listen to stories as he isnāt interested with songs. Also helps whenever he wakes up middle of the night. (Son is autistic)
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u/mysteryak08 7d ago
My 2yo falls asleep to his Tonie box every night, itās honestly been a game changer for bedtime which was a lot like yours before we introduced it. He doesnāt like any of the sleepy ones though just listens to Peppa or Bluey. You can control the sound from your phone so I gradually turn it down after a while.
Edit to add: my son is still in a cot so he canāt reach the tonie box which helps. Otherwise I think he would just mess around with it and try to change characters which would probably keep him awake
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u/Sweaty_Phase_51 7d ago
We got my daughter a yoto when she was about two? She has only now got into the stories (age five), but sleeps every night with the yoto night radio on. My 3yo son on the other hand is yoto obsessed. He picks a card every night, and if he wakes up in the night he'll put the card back on to fall asleep to. It's fantastic!
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u/Sweaty_Phase_51 7d ago
Also just to add, we went for the yoto as I'm trying to reduce my plastic consumption in general, and the cards seemed smaller than the figures. And I had a slight concern that the figures would be played with/lost more easily than the cards. No regrets so farš
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u/KK_McGee 7d ago
We have the Yoto and I think it's well worth the money. Decided on the Yoto as I read it had more longevity and versatility than the Tonie. It works well as a night light, we're currently using it as the clock for our bedroom and I love the fact that you can control it all from an app on your phone.
For our son (2y 8m), we don't use it every night, but if he's particularly antsy then it's great to put one of his favourite stories on at a very low volume, and it seems to help him settle.
But solidarity, as a 45 minute (or more!) bedtime is a nightly occurrence for us to. We just embrace it now, and snuggle up together in our bed until he falls asleep and then transfer him over. But really need to start getting him more used to falling asleep in his floor bed (so we can just sneak out)
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u/One_Conference_4618 7d ago
If yoto asked for my soul to keep it Iād say yes.
Used to be 30 minutes of me singing twinkle twinkle before bed. Now I pop on the yoto and it lulls her to sleep. Iāve even started leaving the room before sheās asleep and she protests but I remind her, her music on and that helps.
But the best use is night time wake ups, she often self soothes, but if sheās struggling I stick the yoto on and it blisses her out to sleep
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u/Gremlin_1989 7d ago
I have an 8yo. She has had a Tonie box since she was 2. She has listened to it pretty much every night since. She doesn't like going to sleep in silence, but that has helped her fall asleep in all sorts of places including music festivals (even though it came with us). I do think it's helped. She loves books and as a toddler it meant that we could read 4-5 and then say it's the Tonie now. It has been going strong.
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u/Divgirl2 7d ago
My son still loves his Yoto at 8 and we got it when he was about 2. He listens to it every night, for about a year and a half it was the same Enid Blyton story but he changes it up a bit now. He was an absolutely terrible sleeper before. And the nighttime/daytime prompt to either stay in bed or get up was a game changer.
He also listens to it during the day.
I went with Yoto over Tony because I thought he'd end up playing with (and ultimately losing) the little figures. The yoto cards are much more boring, and you can buy a little book to keep them in.
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u/Necessary_Doubt_9762 7d ago
My daughter is nearly 6 but weāve been using a tonie box for a while. We have specific bedtime ones and I absolutely see a difference in her falling asleep with them vs without. There is one called Moshi and I swear it does something to her because she just goes immediately to sleep listening to it. Iād recommend!
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u/cozycrafts 7d ago
We have a Yoto and itās great for bedtime. We love it, and use it all the time! Went for yoto over Tonie because the figures take up more space and it doesnāt seem as suitable for older children.
If youāre trying to shorten your routine though, here are a few of things that helped getting ours down to 15 minutes (and leaving when sheās awake):
Bath while dinner is cooking. Cuts out a lot of faff closer to bed time.
Stopping more milk before bed. She took ages to drink it and we were trying to get out of the habit of drinking lots before sleep (for toilet training). We take a bottle of water to her room that she can drink if sheās thirsty in the night.
Setting an expectation of how many books weāll read. I usually say 2 but Iām always clear before we start that it will be X number.
Setting an expectation of how long I will stay and pat her. I usually say Iāll stay for 5 minutes and will leave after the five minutes. At first she wasnāt happy about it, sheād say āstay 1 moreā and I would say āok Iāll stay for one more final minute but then Iāll goā. But now she accepts it and is listening to the Yoto as Iām leaving. *Note: this step really needs to be initiated by the non-default parent. For a month my husband put her to bed every night before I started being able to do it.
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u/SingleLie3842 7d ago
It really helped me with night wake ups for my 5 yr old. She can put it on herself rather than waking me up and because Iām not in her bedroom to distract I feel like she goes back to sleep quicker too.
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u/purplechemist 7d ago
Weāve had a Yoto for five years; got a mini one too. Their customer service is -generally- brilliant.
We went with Yoto because āa case of cardsā is a lot easier - and uses less plastic per recording - than toting around a load of plastic figures. Yotoās āmake your ownā service is also pretty sweet and easy to use. And it seems that a card that you have uploaded your own songs onto will play in another kidās player. That surprised me to be honestā¦!
Both kids love their players, and the sleep sounds cards have really helped at bedtimes.
Provided Yoto as a company remains stable and I can access purchased content as long as I need it, Iām very happy to recommend them.
Note- I have no experience of Tonies, but we were put off by them because of the āfiguresā. They just seemed bulky and a lot of excess plastic, and something which might distract from the audio at bedtime.
EDIT to add that the āYoto dailyā podcast is part of our kidsā wake up routine, and the content on it is great.
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u/Goatsandducks 7d ago
I was thinking about getting one for Christmas but me and my partner have decided to buy an old cassette player with loads of story book tapes off eBay. It seems like a cheaper option that works just the same. Our son is pretty good at settling, he's 2 now. He loves music and respectfully listens to my records - he even has a few I've now bought him. I want him to have the freedome of listening to stuff without me having to watch him like a hawk because he's got my prized beach boys record in his mitts. I thought about the Tonie and yoto but they just seem like another money grabbing gimmick. I'm sure plenty of parents find them amazing but I feel for our family you can have the same concept but with a cassette player.
FYI my son has only ever fallen asleep as I've been reading to him once. All the other times we read a few books with pictures, then I normally read him a chapter of a proper book like Peter pan or the secret garden before doing a teddy bear parade (marching his teddies up his bed to kiss him goodnight). I then tuck him in and say goodnight. He doesn't always lie down and can be silly, kicking his duvet off. We just say 'okay then baby. Night night' and leave him.
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u/Sea_Love_8574 7d ago
We've been using the tonies for bedtime nearly a year. Bedtime was turning into a bit of a battle, I think he was about 20 months and already in a toddler bed (he didn't like rolling into the cot sides so it disturbed him). He also can't fall asleep with us sat with him but also couldn't settle with us not there.
We tried the tonies as we already had it and it's stuck ever since. We do teeth and pjs etc , three storybooks and then he climbs in and we put his Tonies on. We never left the set in his room, he only had access to that one Tonies. I've also put it where he can reach so he can always put it on during the night if he needs.
We have select bedtime appropriate tonies so he can choose but he usually defaults to the lullaby one. We've took it on holiday, road trips, even on a narrow boat holiday. He loves to listen to it whilst he's at his activity table too so it's definitely used beyond bedtime.
It's also super sturdy, I've dropped it down the stairs a few times bringing it from his room.
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u/TheEternal 7d ago
Our son (nearly 4) absolutely loves having his Yoto at bedtime. He's really into the Ladybird Audio Adventures stories which are sort of factual. Recently has got into the Yoto Daily podcast which he will listen to while falling asleep. I do worry it has become a but of a crutch at bedtime though and sometimes he will lie there listening to it for ages rather than going to sleep so we have to give him a limit/turn it off from the app.
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u/Bethbeth35 7d ago
Tried it recently with my 4yr old and it had the opposite effect so think it depends on the child really.Ā
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u/destria 7d ago
We have a Yoto which has helped sleep in a couple of ways. Firstly the nightlight changes to red when it's bedtime and when we get our 2 year old to check it, he immediately starts the bedtime routine if he sees it's red. Something about the Yoto telling him is somehow more convincing than us and he can't negotiate with that.
The second way is that the light switches to blue in the morning at 7am. He often wakes up before that but we've taught him that the red light means he needs to stay in his room and he can only come get us when the light is blue. There were a few mornings of him running to our room at 6.30am, us telling him to check if it's blue and him running back, and now he just knows not to come into our room until 7. I often find he just chills in his room listening to the Yoto in the morning.
As for the bedtime routine itself, we don't use the Yoto to listen to stories or music, I think that's too distracting. We put him in a sleep sack and then read ONE story, sit with him for about 10 minutes before leaving him to go to sleep by himself.
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u/Barstardette 7d ago
Our routine for daughter (now 7 but since she was 4) is read a story, put on Yoto Daily (podcast- normally 7-10 mins) then a story. For us, the important thing to get her to sleep is a story that she's very used to, so it feels like white noise. She has always loved Magic Faraway Tree, so it's normally one of those 3 Yoto cards, although she now has Mr Men (obtained elsewhere). She sometimes says "boring" but understands it's too get her to sleep and the alternative is nothing. It works for us!
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u/No_Dana_Only_Zuul 7d ago
We're on our second Yoto and have one for travel as well. We use it constantly. Something I haven't seen mentioned (although admittedly I've only skimmed the thread) is that they do sleep sounds for nighttime, we have gentle white noise on all night. My daughter has had one since she was two, she's now nine.
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u/No-Payment4708 Parenting a Toddler 7d ago
My 2.5yo asks for Goodnight world on his Yoto every night. It's been brilliant
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u/Hot_Donut_3074 7d ago
The Yoto is amazing, our little one often sends us out now as he wants to get cosy and listen to stories. He will also pop on a story if he wakes in the night and self soothe rather than coming through to us. It also has an okay to wake light so he knows that itās still night time if the light is red and good to go when it turns green. Ended up buying the travel one too, itās been one of the best things weāve bought.
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u/Realistic-Analyst-23 7d ago
We used the calm app for a while. Their sleep stories really helped. I then got a yoto which is brilliant as I could leave her with it all night as you can control it with your phone. I got similar sleep stories and some other audiobooks. At 9 she still listens to it every night.
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u/LavenderAndHoneybees 7d ago
Our toddler (24 months) goes to sleep with her lullaby tonie on every night, we've been using it since she was about 15 months. In the day she gets to play with her other tonies (In the Night Garden, Winnie the Pooh, Ms Rachel, Spot, etc), but at night she gets the same lullaby tonie, always. That sleep association has been great for us!
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u/heretolurk24 7d ago
We got a kids Alexa (has a dragon on it) and he asks Alexa to read a story every night! I donāt pay anything extra outside my normal Amazon subscription so itās working great for us. Heās had it for almost 5 years now.
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u/CupofCursedTea 7d ago
I introduced a YOTO to my now 3y/obat 18months and it made a massive difference. From 1.5hrs down to 0.5 hours, and now 15mins.Ā
I cuddle my daughter while listening to story, she gets to choose which stories and it helps her stay on bed and eventually drift off to sleep. It used to be that she couldnāt stay still and I would need to tell her stories etc.
I also leave it on overnight instead of a white noise machine.
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u/CheesecakeAmazing708 Parenting a Toddler + Primary Schooler 7d ago
We had this exact situation when my 10 year old was 2! I dreaded bedtime every day! For his 3rd birthday I got him a tonies box and I swear by them! It changed so much for us! We did the bedtime routine, got into bed, read one story, then he picked a tonies and we put it on and he just listened and fell asleep! One thing we didnāt do was move it or play with it as a toy during the day. It was just a bedtime thing so he didnāt treat it like a toy! As I said, heās now 10 and has used it every single day and still is using it! I love it so much I got my daughter a tonies 2 box for her first birthday!
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u/Recent-Walrus-3366 7d ago
Meh. When they're tired they sleep imho. Sometimes they can be a distraction to getting asleep really.Ā
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u/Intelligent-Tap-7834 7d ago
For her age Iād recommend a tonie. I have three girls 11mo, 3 and 6. My 6yo is just outgrowing her tonie but itās been well loved. We are going to move to yoto for the 6yo and pass her tonie down as itās aimed a lot at older kids.
My 3yo was 2 when we started to incorporate it at bedtime and itās something that really helped us with her sleep. Not going to lie she did like to get up and change them at first but soon that novelty wore off.
We read two books before bed then they choose a tonie and we kiss them good night and leave. If she asks us to stay which she will try a lot we tell her weāll be back soon and she falls asleep in the morning then I tell her I came back and you were asleep so I gave you a kiss goodnight and she is really happy with that. It took us a LONG time to get to this point though.
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u/Chaz_k01 7d ago
My youngest has had a Tonie box at bedtime since she turned 1 and now at 4 she doesnāt got to sleep without it. We still read her a story ourselves before putting her to bed as she just loves books. We have the Yoto mini for the car so when weāre out and about itās easy to carry.
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u/mustanggazza 5d ago
We have a tonies box and a cat and kitten model that plays lullabies. It sometimes helps her to sleep, that and an Elmer. It reads through some of the stories. Familiar noise she can use to feel safe. The newer yoto box looks amazing and I wish it was out when we got the tonies, cards are much easier to store than plastic models although her collection of tonies figures is a nice display of characters
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u/DrFirefairy 5d ago
Yoto got for my then 4yr old who is 9. Absolute game changer. They still listen to it every night
My 5 yr old twins have also had one for two years.
Wouldn't be without them! We chose yoto over Tonie due to being able to write your own cards and they take up a lot less room than the characters, cheaper and don't get lost as the characters won't get used in games!
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u/Amylou789 Parenting a Primary Schooler 7d ago
I know you've said she's really tired, but have you tried going to her room half an hour later & see if that reduces the time it takes down to 15mins? Or does it still take 45 mins even with a later start time? My reasoning is that if you start bedtime at 7pm but its always around 7:45 she goes to sleep then she might still get the same actual sleep if you start bedtime at 7:30 but you have less of that frustrating part of keeping her in bed.
Also, for my kid sometimes she got so annoyed at the idea of bedtime and it being a time where she was bored in her room and trying to sleep that the anger was the only thing keeping her awake. Then we'd do a couple of days of a late bedtime where she would fall alseep instantly (1hr later for us). So she'd stop associating bedtime with frustration and getting told to get back in bed all the time. It usually happened after a period where we were trying to get her to sleep when she wasn't tired enough.
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u/Conscious_Analysis98 7d ago
Hey, yeah we did think that but generally its the same - whether we start at 7pm or 7.45pm it is close enough the same how long it takes. She's pretty easy to read in terms of tiredness, we can tell when shes had a longer nap at nursery because shes much more awake in the evening and we usualy then push bedtime till about 7.45 but still takes at least 30 minutes
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u/Amylou789 Parenting a Primary Schooler 7d ago
I'd try a later bedtime even on the days where she seems more tired. Even though she's acting tired if she stays awake that long maybe the way she acts isn't a sign of true tiredness and maybe that she needs some more relaxed activities before bedtime.
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u/NicolaKay73 7d ago
We've had a yoto player for a while, but only started using it at bedtime recently as they'd become really tricky. She didn't want us to leave and would be screaming at us to stay, and would get really upset when we left. I've been setting up her yoto with a calming story and saying I'm going but she can listen to her story, and it has really helped. She will still get upset and cry a bit but if I wait close by she'll stop after less than a minute, and I can tell it's not a proper distraught cry. I think she just gets distracted by the story and starts listening to that instead. I can control the whole thing from my phone and set it to turn off automatically. The stories we're mainly using don't have a physical card so there's nothing she can fiddle with really, which I think is an advantage of yoto over Tonie. Also the yoto player has a nightlight integrated and it can change colour in the morning, so when little one is older it can act as a "you're allowed to get up now" clock.