Sleep Ponderings from Me: How I Deal with the Light Nights

I have been sick this past week, so last night I was laying in bed while my husband put our kids down. I heard my three-year old son telling him, "It's not bedtime. It's still light outside. Why do I have to go to bed in the day?"My husband proceeded to tell him that even though it it light out it is still night time and bedtime, kissed him, and told him goodnight.

At our house, we don't use the light to determine our childrens' bedtime; we use their amount of needed sleep. Our kids need to go to bed at 7pm (give or take a few) to be well-rested and thus well-tempered the next day. Both my husband and I can tell a significant difference in their behavior if their needed sleep is compromised, so we make it a point to do this as infrequently as possible... even when they protest, even when it is still light out; even when they protest about it being light out. You can see it in the way my husband handled my son's "light outside" question.

Some tips for keeping their bedtime appropriate as the days get longer:
-continue with your sleep schedule and bedtime routine
-make sure their bedroom is dark- darkness cues sleep
-use a sound spa to drown out outside noises that may provoke curiosity and wandering
-stick to the plan- don't waiver by your child's protests- it is good and ok to set boundaries and say no
-pay attention to the clock- make sure that you eat dinner at the same time and not let the continued light push evening events back and thus push bedtime back