The accidental nap - When kids fight going to bed

When kid finally get sleepy, they'll fall asleep anywhere.

Do you ever have bedtime struggles with your child? It takes my son an hour to wrap his mind around the idea of going to bed (my words, not his). He wants to watch a few more minutes of TV or play his video game a little longer.

On the day in question, I decided to do a little late night grocery shopping without the boys. I can move a little faster when I’m not stopping to take items out of the cart that they try to sneak in. So I ventured out.

When I returned home the house was quiet, not a creature was stirring, not even a….rambunctious teen. I found out the next day that the quiet house was just an illusion. My son confessed that he was pretending to be asleep. Then accidentally fell asleep for real.

What is the solution for preventing an accidental nap (or fake sleeping)? It helps when I tell the kids they have to be in bed by a set time so they can be asleep by a certain time. And I wake them up at the same time every morning.

Sometimes it’s still a struggle. Al Roker from the TODAY show interviewed Jodi Mindell, the director of the Sleep Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She gives tips for getting your 3-7 year old to bed. Click here to see the video from the TODAY show.

What do you do when your child fights going to bed?