How to Tackle the “5 More Minutes” Bedtime Routine

Do you kids like to stall at bedtime? I think our daughter is the queen of stalling! Just the other night she threw a fit saying that I didn’t believe she was a big girl because I was making her go to bed before 8:30 (her usual bedtime). But she had been sick all week so thought it might be good idea. Wrong.

So what do your kids say? That their eyelids hurt? They’ll die of thirst without more water? Mine usually throws out that she is hungry for a snack before bedtime. It’s like a big deja-vu when your own kid starts rattling off the same bedtime excuses you used back in 19-something-or-another. What these little stall-masters don’t understand is that you’re not clueless… it’s just that many times you’re just too tired to argue. I know some nights I just don’t have it in me to argue about it so I let her “win” and she gets to watch her show for a few more minutes.

Turns out, the bedtime excuses are universal – more than 60% of parents around the globe are dealing with kids’ stall tactics before bed, adding up to nearly 20 minutes every single night. But guess what? It’s time to take back your night with a little help from Netflix.

Next time you find yourself in the bedtime battle, just tell your kids they can watch an ENTIRE show before bed. This month, Netflix and DreamWorks Animation launched Dinotrux 5 Minute Favorites, new episodes of the latest hit, all in a nice little 5-minute package — letting your little negotiator think they’re getting away with the age-old ‘just five more minutes’ ploy. In a mere 300-seconds, your kids will be speechless as they march themselves up to bed knowing they got exactly what they wanted. You: 1, Kids’ stalls: 0.

Dinotrux ‘5 Minute Favorites’

Tucking them in is magic, it’s just getting there that’s the hard part. So make bedtime a little easier with three new Dinotrux 5 Minute Favorites from Netflix.

Check out some of these funny excuses kids gave their parents: