A fixed evening ritual does wonders for a good night’s sleep, both for children and parents. It helps your children prepare for the night and relaxes and reassures them. Are you still looking for a quiet and cosy evening ritual for your child(ren)? Maybe you will get some inspiration from the evening rituals our test families came up with. They involve the Yumi Yay stories and colourful night lights.
An evening ritual doesn’t always have to take long. In the end, it’s all about sharing a moment together, in the same way every day. A ritual that everyone can copy (also grandparents, babysitters...) and that is easy to stick to. A short, loving ritual is often enough to create some peace and quiet before bedtime.
Ine, mom of Noah (3) and Leo (2 months)
After a busy day, I insist that we all have a quiet moment together just before bedtime. Time for soft light and a book. Before we jump into the stories of Otti, Tika, Finn and Billy, we always look for the matching cover of the main character in the story. Noah then crawls onto my lap and enjoys the adventures of his Yumi Yay friends.
Reading a story, while I bury my nose in Noah’s hair to smell his scent, those are “our little moments”. Those little moments before bedtime are so valuable.
Melissa, mom of Louis (3), Liv (2) & Charlie (1)
Louis is totally hooked on Otti, the elephant. Just before he goes to sleep, he will continue to play quietly with his night light in his bed for another 20 minutes. This evening ritual really relaxes him, and us, and it also lets him know when it’s time to go to sleep.
Lara, mom of Philippa (5), Romée (3) and Gabriël (new-born)
The great thing about the Yumi Yay night lights is that they are wireless and that you do not have a cable attached to the wall. This means my kids can safely take their light into bed with them and have a bit of light in their room while they play with their lights and cuddly toys.
Lisa, mom of Noah (1)
Noah discovered Yumi Yay when he was 7 months old, and he was immediately a big fan of Billy. We tell him every night that Billy is going to sleep in his room again. I can also give the night light to his grandparents if he’s staying the night there. This way, he always has something familiar and reassuring when it is dark around him.
Liz, mom of Charlie (3)
Charlie needs structure and fixed rituals, so it’s very nice that we have these cheerful and fun figures for our moment together. She now knows that when she sees her night light Finn, it’s time to go to sleep.
Marinka, mom of Lot (3.5) and Sep (1)
Yumi Yay has become a fixed part of our evening ritual here. One of the children turns on the night light, we talk a bit about what happened during the day, and we end with a reading book.