Learn how to interrupt the family stress cycle.

• • • Take a break and breathe, slowly and deeply.
    • Notice what you’re feeling and what sensations you’re experiencing in your body. Avoid acting on your stressed feelings.
    • Focus yourself on the bedtime basics to guide you forward.
      1. Have a fun routine that you do consistently.
      2. Calmly tell your child what to DO.
      3. Give positive attention to positive behavior.
      4. Avoid giving attention to minor annoying behaviors.

Learn how to handle children’s bedtime resistance.

• • • Prevent tantrums by starting bedtime early, before everyone is tired.
    • Use imaginary play and songs to make difficult bedtime steps easier and more fun for your child.
    • Use a reward chart to help your child with difficult bedtime steps. Use simple rewards that your child likes and that work for you.
    • Manage your own stress by taking some deep slow breaths and stay focused on the bedtime basics:
      1. Have a fun routine that you do consistently.
      2. Calmly tell your child what to DO.
      3. Give positive attention to positive behavior.
      4. Avoid giving attention to minor annoying behaviors.

Learn how to help your child build new bedtime skills for calming themselves down to sleep.

• • • Make sure your child’s basic needs for food, water, and using the toilet are met before they get in bed.
    • To help children with fears, limit scary books and media, and reassure children they are safe and that you’re nearby. Nightlights and a favorite stuffed animal can also help them feel safe and secure.
    • To help your child develop a new sleep habit of staying in bed and not calling out, set a clear expectation for settling down and going to sleep. Only give attention to the calm behavior you want to see. Avoid giving attention to the disruptive behaviors you don’t want to see, like calling out, crying, or getting out of bed.
    • Check on your child only when they’re quiet and calm. Start with a brief check in after 2 minutes and then gradually lengthen the wait time between check ins.
    • Remember that you’re teaching your child a whole new skill, so stay consistent and patient.

Say Alexa, Stop or Alexa, Quit. Then try starting the skill again. Say Alexa, tell Talk Parenting to start bedtime.

Make sure you say Alexa and wait until you see the blue ring before you give a command.

You can test whether the Echo Dot is still connected to the internet by saying Alexa, what time is it? Remember to wait for the blue ring to appear after you say Alexa but before you say what time is it.

Say Alexa, Stop or Alexa, Quit. Then try starting the skill again. Say Alexa, open Talk Parenting.

When you’re done reading books, say Alexa, continue or Alexa, next. The next step in the routine will begin.

When you’re ready for the next step, say Alexa, continue or Alexa, next. The next step in the routine will begin.

This means that you have a notification. When you are free, say Alexa, play notifications.

We send notifications when there is a Talk Parenting podcast for you to listen to. You may also get notifications from Amazon. Feel free to ignore these.

Ignore this request.

We have preconfigured your smart speakers so you can have a plug-and-play experience. You don’t need to download anything. But do reach out to us if Alexa asks you to download something!

This means that the microphone is turned off and the smart speaker can’t hear you. To turn on the microphone again, press the button that has a circle with a slash through it.

Try to bring your TP-Link device (plugged into your modem/router) and the smart speaker closer together.

Turn on the battery pack by holding down the battery pack’s power button for 3 seconds. When the battery pack powers on, the blue lights next to the power button will turn on too. These lights show how much charge the battery has left.  If the battery has no power, plug it in to charge it before using it for your routine.

Make sure your battery pack is charged. Plug in the battery pack after your bedtime routine to make sure it’s ready to go again on the next day.