Whether you have babies, toddlers, young children, middle schoolers, teenagers, or all of the above, bedtime can often be the hardest part of your day as a parent. Between the little ones asking for just one more drink of water before bed, and the older kids deciding to start their homework at the last minute, nighttime can feel anything but tranquil and relaxing.
Before you surrender to a chaotic nightly routine with your kids, try a few of these tips to help make bedtime more simplistic and less painful for everyone.
A Better Bath Time
You can easily turn bath time into a relaxing event that will help to calm the kids down before bed with a little help from essential oils. Adding calming oils like Lavender or doTERRA Balance to a warm bath will create a comforting aromatic experience, rather than turning bath time into a splashy mess. Consider using the doTERRA Serenity Bath Bar during your child’s bath to not only make them feel clean, but to allow the relaxing aroma of doTERRA Serenity to linger on their skin after they leave the bath. Check out the doTERRA Product Blog for fun essential oil bath time DIYs like this Essential Oil Bubble Bath or these Confetti Bath Bombs.
Squeaky Clean
As adults, we understand the importance of brushing our teeth, cleaning the skin, and practicing good hygiene before bed. For many kids, bedtime rituals like teeth brushing seem like unnecessary annoyances. If you have little ones who hate brushing their teeth or teenagers who never want to wash their face, doTERRA has a few personal care items that will be a big help.
Families love the doTERRA On Guard Whitening Toothpaste because it has a pleasant flavor and provides serious cleansing results. You can also encourage your kids to use the doTERRA On Guard Mouthwash to ensure that the entire mouth is extra clean before bed. If your kids like Peppermint or Spearmint essential oil, consider adding a drop of the oil to their toothbrush before brushing to give them an extra clean, minty feeling.
To help your teenagers’ skin look clean and clear, have them try HD Clear products. The HD Clear Foaming Facewash makes cleaning the skin easy and fun. Plus, the HD Clear Topical Blend roll-on makes skincare even simpler for teenagers who often skip this step of their nightly routine.
Set the Stage for Better Sleep
When you’ve finally completed bath time, teeth brushing, and the kids are all clean, it can still be a challenge to get everyone in bed and asleep at a decent time. To get kids ready for a good night of sleep, try diffusing calming essential oils in the bedroom or family room when preparing for bed. As the kids put on their pajamas, read bedtime stories, and get ready to go to bed, the calming, comforting scents of essential oils will fill the room and create a relaxing environment perfect for sleep.
Make bedtime diffusing more fun by letting the kids choose their favorite essential oils, or create new diffuser blends every night as a family. You can also place a few drops of a soothing essential oil like Clary Sage, Sandalwood, or doTERRA Serenity in a spray bottle with a few ounces of water and mist the mixture over your kids’ pillows and bedding before they go to bed to promote a peaceful atmosphere that is conducive to sleep.
To All a Good Night
Whether your kids are constantly waking up throughout the night, or have a hard time falling asleep, it can be tough to help them feel calm and relaxed enough to sleep through the night. Try applying essential oils to the bottom of your child’s feet before going to bed to help encourage a good night of sleep. The calming essential oils will absorb into the skin on the bottoms of the feet, and your child will inhale the aroma as he or she drifts off to sleep.
