Comments on: Good Night Stoplight for Regulating Bedtime Excuses

By: Emily

Emily — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:14:35 +0000

I like this idea. I’ve just made a couple of “get up cards” for my youngest. My 5 year old comes up with every excuse possible to get out of bed… she wants a drink, needs to go potty, wants another kiss, wants to see what Mommy and older sister (8 years old) are doing… it just goes on and on. I put her to bed around 7:30, and sometimes it’s after 10 when she finally settles down for the night. On the nights when I remember, I give her 2 get up cards. She can use the cards for anything she’d like, but once both cards are used, she’s not allowed to get up. It sort of works… it would be better if I was more consistent. The stop light might actually work for her.

By: Carol

Carol — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 07:04:19 +0000

And by moving out of the family bed, I mean, voluntarily moved into their own beds and stayed there all night, sans a potty break now and then. Where they of course, went potty all by themselves and then returned to their beds.

By: Carol

Carol — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 07:00:49 +0000

All of my kids have just been invited to crawl in bed with us because yes, we're that lazy.

They've all voluntarily moved out of the family bed by age 3...well except for child #3. She's not quite 3 yet so we remain optimstic.

By: Michele

Michele — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 00:00:01 +0000

At one time in my daughter’s life I would have felt superior to this product too. Then she turned THREE!!! We had almost zero discipline issues with her up until that point and we often patted ourselves on the back for apparently doing such great parenting. (we were SO naive!) But now, even though we maintain our rules and our (hopefully) consistent discipline, bedtime has become a huge issue. Not the GOING-to-bed part, but the STAYING-in-bed part. As soon as her little head hits the pillow she becomes like a tiny, never-ending water fountain! She will beg to go to the bathroom at least 6 times before falling asleep and the amazing thing is, she actually pees every time! This item might actually work as a deterent for our nightly potty dance and I’d pay 20 bucks for that kind of peace!

By: Christina

Christina — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 23:58:00 +0000

Yeah, bedtime is bedtime, and it’s usually our daughter who kicks us out. I thought we’d lucked out and gotten a good kid, but maybe we actually did something right. It’s always hard to tell with your first. I’m sure it’ll change when she’s older and tries to assert some control over her bedtime. Maybe I should put my red light green light on layaway… NOT.

By: thordora

thordora — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:59:25 +0000

In my mind my daughter gets a freebie, but even then, she's not allowed to leave her room unless we've said ok. Usually it's because we've forgotten something in the rush, or because she suddenly needs to go. Otherwise, she's good. In the morning, she only gets up when the sun is up-otherwise, it's into the bathroom and back to her room.

Our younger daughter who's 23 months is another story, but she's a bit harder to train right now. I still wouldn't use something like that, since to my kids, it would be permission to run riot.

By: selah

selah — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 15:40:48 +0000

My son was the same way at that age and I secretly thought him superior to his running out of their bed peers. He’s now 4 and as often happen with kids, it’s a whole new ballgame. I wouldn’t pay money for that but we do a free-pass system. He decorated 2 little “tickets” and he can use them at naptime (not bedtime). He doesn’t always use them, but when he does it’s mostly for hugs. It gives him some semse of control over what has become a difficult time for him. He also doesn’t have to nap but he has to stay in his room. Hope you never have to deal with this but the product doesn’t look as ridiculous to me now as it would’ve 2 years ago!

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 15:13:32 +0000

I guess stern is a good word. When I’ve had enough, my voice sounds “determined” (but not mad) and my boy knows there’s no wiggle room, goofing time is over.