Note: Scroll to the bottom of the story to participate in our poll question (Do your children stall when it comes time to go to bed?)

“Just one more show/book/story.”

“I’m too hot/cold/thirsty/awake to sleep.”

“Five more minutes.”

Does bedtime invariably cue a broadside of excuses and “Godfather”-style negotiation attempts from your child? If so, you’re not alone.

“Especially in preschool and in elementary-age kids, repeated demands can really prolong the time they go to sleep,” said Dr. Mikhal Gold, of Centura Health Physician Group, Pediatrics, part of Penrose-St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs.

Sometimes a medical or psychological problem can impede a child’s ability to fall asleep, but more often it’s a behavioral issue and an outcome of growing up – coupled, in many instances, with a pattern of flexibility established by parents.

“Toddlers are starting to test boundaries, and as kids get older they’re trying to assert their independence,” Gold said.

Bedtime resistance is a common issue for parents worldwide, but American kids (whose parents have Netflix) are particularly savvy when it comes to the game of sleep-stalling, according to a recent survey by the streaming video provider.

In a poll of subscribers who are parents, Netflix found that U.S. children take about two minutes longer, on average, getting to bed than their counterparts in other nations – 19.3 minutes versus 17.5 minutes. American kids also are more likely to use cute or creative stalling tactics to score precious moments of bonus awake time – or perhaps American parents simply are more susceptible to the manipulations of their offspring.

“That’s something really hard for parents to deal with, but what I say is set up a really regular bedtime routine so kids know what to expect every night,” Gold said. “Not everyone has strict bedtime rules and not everyone enforces a strict bedtime, and if you’re one of those parents you’re going to run into some of these problems.”

In addition to establishing good habits, a regular nightly routine gives parents leverage if youngsters push back against lights-out.

“Whether that routine is a bath, putting on a special outfit, having a comfort toy or blanket, or reading one or two stories. In doing the same thing every night, if they ask you can say, ‘Well, we don’t read three stories at night,'” Gold said.

If bedtime is an issue in your home, lax routines over time likely are to blame, and tightening them is the best long-term approach, said Gold, adding that parents should avoid giving caffeine to children after 3 p.m., keep exercise or physical exertion in the evening to a minimum, and make sure bedrooms are dark, cool and device-free.

“There’s good evidence that screen time before bed is not very good,” Gold said. “We typically tell parents that any screened devices – whether it’s iPod, phone, TV or computer – really shouldn’t be utilized right before you go to bed. It’s more stimulating than it is relaxing.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages screen time entirely for children younger than 2; for older children and teens, it recommends recreational viewing be kept to less than two hours a day.

However, if screen time and sleep-stalling already are part of your child’s pre-bed rituals, a new series of animated shorts now available for streaming on Netflix might help you beat them at their own game.

With the “Dinotrux 5 Minute Favorites” release, “parents can offer up an entire show – that’s 300 whole seconds, kids – to motivate little ones to get ready for bedtime, pronto,” according to a press release from the company. “Kids will think they’re getting away with murder, but parents will get the last laugh when the show ends after just 5 minutes and the kids are tucked in on time.”

While hitting play might avoid conflict and buy parents a few precious minutes at the moment, it shouldn’t be considered a fix, Gold cautions.

“It’s about establishing healthy sleep associations, and that’s not a healthy association,” she said. “I love Netflix, but that (advocating for pre-bed screen time) is contradictory to what the American Academy of Pediatrics would say.”

–

Contact Stephanie Earls: 636-0364