During the summer my family does not adhere to a strict bedtime routine. We cannot always guarantee what we will be doing, where we will be, and how late we will get home. On normal nights we stick pretty close since preschoolers still need a significant hours of sleep. A lack of sleep for a preschooler can lead to fussiness and misbehavior. In general it is simply unhealthy. However, summer is a time when we experience late nights and long afternoon naps. We get used to a lack of routine and as fall arrives we need to establish routine once again.
Establishing or reestablishing a bedtime routine can be exhausting. As summer ends, I went back to a strict bedtime for my small kids due to home school starting and their older sister needing a bedtime due to having to get up early for school. I decided it would be best for everyone if I got the girls used to a routine two weeks in advance. We started out slow by putting them to bed 15 minutes earlier then they had been. That was hardly noticeable. So after a few nights I increased it by another 15 minutes. Again, this was successful. We had a few bumps in the road since 8:00pm looks more like 6:00pm in the summer. My little would say that it was still daylight out and not bedtime. So, I made sure to keep their room dark and put on music. During the summer I would allow a few toys in bed but now no toys were allowed. The lamp was turned off and only a very small nightlight was left on if anything. After a few books and listening quietly to music, they were out like a light.
So far, it has been going well. Most of the success is attributed to consistency and the girls knowing full well that by the beginning of school bedtime was nonnegotiable.