Sometimes adults and children get a second wind late in the day.  This surge in energy brings intense activity and alertness that leads to resistance to going to bed.  If your child is unable to slow down at bed time, here are a few ideas that compliment Big Mouth Yawn book:

1  Teach your child how to soothe herself to sleep.  Children need to learn to relax and "find their dreams".  Ask them at bed time what they want to dream about and ask them to try to dream it in colour.

2  Create a positive bedtime routine.  Do the same things each night in roughly the same order.  A combination of pre-bed tasks such as bath/shower, brushing teeth and quiet enjoyable activities such as reading a book.  The idea is to keep the atmosphere positive, using attention and praise.

3  Let her know she is safe in her bed and that you will be nearby.  Tell her that "it is now time for sleep", that you will check on her before you go to bed and you will see her in the morning.

4  If you suspect that there is a power struggle on the way, first make sure all the normal requests are covered.  Ensure that she has been to the toilet, her water bottle is full and she has had enough hugs for the whole night.  To help her feel empowered let her choose the little things and maybe let her choose from two or three alternatives and make sure you are happy with each choice. Rather than asking "do you want to go to bed now?" and getting a "no" answer, ask "do you want to go to bed now or in five minutes?"  The child makes the choice and you get what you want.

Big Mouth Yawn contains a plan if your child regularly gets out of bed.