Turning four years old has brought on some hilarious yet rambunctious behavior in our little guy. And while he keeps us on the edge of our seats (as well as constantly laughing from his antics) in the best way, bedtime has become a little bit of, well… a headache. Suddenly we have the “sleepytime sillies” in a major way and getting settled down for bed has proven to be difficult. I got a little creative and have loved the help it has been in this area. So in honor of October and all the festivities, I am sharing our bedtime routine success and DIY monster spray.

For the past two years, we have incorporated essential oils into our bedtime routine as a family. I mean, once you discover tools that help you get better sleep you stick with the habits, you know? So every night we go through the steps of getting into softies, brushing out teeth, and filling our diffusers. Then we will read a bedtime story with Brooks and everyone will apply our go-to oils. Our favorite sleepytime oils on the bottom of our feet, behind our ears, and on our chest. Then we use our immunity boost roller blend (Thieves, Frankincense, and Lemon). We simply apply it down our spines and to the bottom of our feet. Then we wrap everything up with a family prayer.

The problem:

Over the last month, we have noticed Brooks having a lot more energy than usual right as it’s time to turn the lights off and go to sleep. So instead of getting mad every night, I decided to get creative.

The solution:

I made him a “bedtime monster spray” for him to use every night as we begin the usual bedtime routine. I apply the same concept when it comes to a picky eater. Instead of fighting at the dinner table every night, I simply invite kiddos to cook in the kitchen with me. Helping prepare dinner gives them a sense of accomplishment and gets them more excited about it so they end up actually eating what was prepared. 

DIY Monster Bedtime Spray Recipe:

So I simply grabbed an available spray bottle and put together the following recipe with Brooks (include those little ones to get them involved and excited!):

• filled a 16 oz. spray bottle to the top with distilled water
• added a splash of unscented witch hazel (this is the one I prefer)
• had Brooks choose two of his favorite sleepytime oils – Sleepyize and Gentle Baby (about 20 drops each)

Then I whipped up a cute and fun label for him that even has his name on it and told him what it was for. Now he can put any monsters to sleep for the night so they don’t bother him while he is sleeping. He will now grab his spray bottle and go around his room spraying away the monsters – under his bed, in his closet, as well as on his bed.

While he is getting to pretend and have fun with it he is simultaneously surrounding himself with calming and soothing scents. This has made all the difference in winding down for the night. I have noticed that I no longer have to keep coming into the boys’ room to ask him to settle down and go to sleep. Bedtime has gotten back to normal and it has been wonderful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Kara Layne | The Well Life (@thewelllifesociety)

And yes, I made sure to include this fun and cute printable label for you and your littles to enjoy as you make your own DIY bedtime monster spray!

DOWNLOAD MY FREE PRINTABLE LABEL HERE

Of course, I couldn’t resist sharing this last image I grabbed of this little one as he helped me prepare this post for you. Seriously, keeping us on our toes and making us laugh DAILY! 

What habits or tools have helped you achieve bedtime routine success in your home?

And if you are wanting to upgrade your mom toolbox, you can shop my favorites from Young Living right here. The ones you see in “mom must-haves” are ones I turn to daily. I am so grateful for these tools to use with my littles – clean ingredients, safe, and effective. Simply just shop what catches your eye or what you want to try!