(Win it!) Tips for Evening Routines for Tweens and Teens

The new school year is just around the corner.  As parents, I feel like there is so much information out there about the importance of evening and bedtime routines for babies and toddlers, but routine is still important for almost everyone of any age. In today's post, I'll focus on tweens and teens. I will provide tips for evening routines since well rested and peaceful tweens/teens are just as important as well rested babies! After all, tantrums seem to come from both age groups - babies and tweens/teens. I joke. Sort of. 

Tips for Evening Routines for Tweens and Teens

1. Story time with Mom and Dad may be out, but relaxing with a good book is in. 
When my son outgrew story time with me, I was disappointed. However, reading a good book is still a good way to relax in the evenings.  We specify a bedtime, but if he is having trouble falling asleep, he is allowed to stay up and read until it's easier to fall asleep.

2. Toss the rubber duckies and baby toys out and invest in a nice bath caddy and bath bombs for relaxing baths.
I have many happy memories of helping my son with his baths as a baby.  Obviously, he doesn't need my help now that he is older and no longer wants him Elmo toys or rubber duckies.  He just wants quiet time to relax after a long day of school, sports, and homework. We got him a Clear Acrylic Bath Caddy from ToiletTree Products, Inc in order to make his bath time more relaxing.  If you think about all of the things that tweens and teens do throughout the school day and at sports practices, you'll quickly realize that they need quiet time to relax.  We swapped our son's baby toys for the Clear Acrylic Bath Caddy so that he could relax in the bath at night before bed.  

This bath caddy is top-of-the-line. It's 33"x9" and has nice handles. I spent hours trying to find the perfect bath caddy and was tired after I couldn't find a good solution at local stores. I then turned my search to the web and found the one featured here by ToiletTree Products, Inc.  As soon as I saw it, I knew that it was perfect because I love that it has a clean look with the clear surface and that the edges are white to match the bathroom.  Plus, I knew that this is a popular brand that is known for high quality products.  When it arrived, it looked even better in person!  My son loved it too. I'm really glad that we found this product because (a) it's perfect, (b) my son appreciates that I picked out a more "grown up" item for him as he has aged out of his bath toys, and (b) he enjoys his time to relax in a bath with his nice caddy. It's a great way to help him to slow down and relax after a busy day.

3. Keep an evening checklist.
For the sake of everyone's sanity, it's a great idea to keep an evening checklist of everything that needs to be done for the next morning. For instance, my son has a take-home folder that we have to check daily; my son packs his lunch the night before; and other tasks to make sure that the following morning will go smoothly.

4. Finish homework immediately after school so that no one has to stay up late.
Homework is more challenging and time consuming as children get older. We learned the hard way that we need to make sure that our son begins his homework when he gets home so that we don't have surprise assignments at 8pm that take 3 hours to complete!

5. Eliminate screen time at night.
Some studies have shown that staring at screens in the evening reduces the quality of sleep.  Specify a time for when screens are turned off for the evening. Personally, we cut off screen time at 6pm.

We hope that these tips are helpful!  Parenting certainly changes as children get older, especially in terms of bedtime routines.

Win it!
One lucky winner will receive a Clear Acrylic Bath Caddy from ToiletTree Products, Inc.  Enter using the Rafflecopter below. The winner must have a U.S. shipping address. No P.O. boxes please.  The winner will have 72 hours to respond with their shipping address. Otherwise, we will select a different winner. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway