Many parents dread the approach of evening and the prospect of the theatrical dramas that go with it. Most parents cope fairly well, using their own found tactics to achieve bedtime bliss, yet there are times when fighting a child into bed, sharing your space in the double bed or getting up hourly between 12 and 5am stretches your patience beyond endurance.

Here are a few useful guidelines to achieve bedtime bliss with minimal fuss:

• Stay within a routine, letting your child know that every evening at 7:00pm or after a certain television program he will be going to bed. This adds predictability to his evening and with this comes security.
• Give your child ample warning, for example: "When this program is finished it is time for bed", this gives him time to unwind and get used to the idea of retiring for the evening - hopefully it doesn't offer him an opportunity to conjure up a new act in his melodrama.
• Many children have a fear of being left alone in a darkened room at the other side of the house, and this can be solved by setting a time in which you will remain with her once she is in bed. Reading a story or two and buying her a night-lamp should do the trick.
• Tell your child before the time, that any calls to family members will be ignored - this will prevent panic from setting in should you suddenly start ignoring her pleas.
• After constant stimulation throughout the day, your youngster may find it extremely lonely to be left on her own, so if possible try letting another child share her bedroom until this stage has passed. If she is an 'only child' offer her a favourite toy or play her soothing music until she drifts off.
• If bedtimes become a definite dilemma, her diet should be taken into consideration. Many children are intolerant of certain foods especially those containing a huge helping of additives as this can cause discomfort and even nightmares in some children.

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