Children seem to be boundless bundles of energy, bouncing off the walls and leaping couches in a single bound. Most of the time, moms and dads can let them run off their steam, but 
what happens when little Johnny manages to drink a six-pack of Red Bull before bed and is flying about the room because it actually GAVE him wings? Here are a few tips on how to get your kids to calm down before bedtime.
1. Start Early: The best way to deal with Red Bull overdrive is to prevent it. Three to four hours prior to bed time make sure the kids don’t eat or drink anything sugary or caffeinated. This includes breads, pastas and other carbohydrates. Carbs break down into sugars in the blood and can have a delayed release effect. When in doubt, a glass of water should suffice until breakfast. Don’t wait until 15 minutes before bed time to start trying to calm them down because it won’t work, and you will just get frustrated.
2. Stick to the Routine: It may not seem worth trying to get them to go to bed if they are crawling up and down the walls like that chick from The Ring, but straying from the routine can end up keeping them up later as well. Children are creatures of habit and when their routine is changed it can have some negative consequences. I know, I tried the whole staying up until they are tired and couldn’t get my 3-year-old to bed until 5 a.m. That created about three days where he wouldn’t go to bed until after 1 a.m. If it is bedtime at 9 p.m., then get them to bed.
3. Take a bath: This is my tried and true remedy for energized kiddies. The best thing about a tub is it’s a contained space. There’s not a whole lot of running around room in it. When they get out, I have them dry off and get dressed in the pajamas and then sit on the couch to finish drying off. The only negative consequence to this is if the bath didn’t calm them down, then you may have to deal with the streaker. The little kid running from room-to-room naked as a jaybird as you run behind begging him to put on underwear and a pair of pants.
4. Story time: The key to calming a child down is to keep him occupied and standing as still as possible. Reading or making up a story for story time is perfect, but you have to choose your stories wisely. Your child’s attention span has decreased to the point where his eyes will start darting throughout the room before Little Red Riding Hood even meets the Big Bad Wolf. If you have boys, then recite a story about dragons and far off lands. If you have girls, then princesses and dashing knights. You should make sure your hands are moving to keep their eyes focused on you and make your voice upbeat and even a little louder than normal.
5. If you can’t beat them, join them. When all else fails, and it occasionally will, then put on your running shoes and help them burn off all that energy. This way you can supervise what they do and keep an eye on them. It will help stave off injuries, broken figurines and furniture and other naughty things that children will do when hopped up on caffeine. About 20 minutes before bedtime, slow it down and try and get them to lie down. If you were able to burn off the energy, they will drop like a sack of potatoes thanks to the caffeine/ sugar crash.
Sleepless nights and rowdy kids are all part of the parenting package. It’s what we signed up for and we knew it going in. So don’t be surprised if you occasionally earn those dark circles under your eyes. To the single people you looked tired; to other parents they are a badge of honor.
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