Dear Dr. Coop,
My seven year-old daughter is a nightmare around going to bed at night. I am at my wits end about what to do. She stays up later and later and refuses to cooperate with me. What do I do?

Kim, Canton Ohio

Kim,
Bedtime can be a problem with a lot of kids. The first thing you might want to think about is minimizing sugar in her diet after 3 PM which is often snack time for kids when they get home from school. That means no sweets after 3. The second thing you should consider is unplugging anything that might stimulate her curiosity in her room like computers, video games, phone etc.. Things with any sort of lit screen will keep her up later. The third, and MOST important thing is to have an established bedtime that you STICK to no matter what. If it’s 7:30 pm, then it’s ALWAYS 7:30 pm. Create a ritual of bath, jammies on , brushing teeth and reading her a book in bed for 10 minutes then exit the room. You need to do this every night and EVERYONE on your parenting team, including grandparents, need to be on board and commit to the plan.

In the beginning, be warned, she will have tantrums and they will likely be bad. Fear not, they will fade as long as you stick to the schedule and plan. If you cave in, you’re a gonner and she is back to controlling YOU and your home. Hang in there, the tantrums will subside and you ALL will better for it!