Child's hand holding little finger of adult's hand

Your Children Aren't Resisting Bedtime — they’re struggling with sudden change

Bedtime Battles
January 12, 2026•2 min read

If bedtime has been falling apart since you decided it was time to “get back on track”, you’re not imagining it — and it’s probably not a discipline problem.

After the holidays, many families try to reset routines quickly, especially bedtime. But children don’t adjust to new rhythms just because we’ve decided it’s time. Sudden change, without support, often shows up as resistance, repeated trips downstairs, emotional meltdowns, or heightened anxiety.

At the same time, mums are often exhausted, depleted, and quietly resentful — having held the emotional and practical load for weeks. When that exhaustion goes unacknowledged, it can come out as over-explaining, frustration, snapping, and guilt.

In this episode, we explore:

  • why bedtime battles often escalate after sudden routine changes

  • why this isn’t “bad behaviour” or lack of discipline

  • how unacknowledged exhaustion fuels the anger–guilt cycle

  • why supporting a new rhythm works better than enforcing new rules

This isn’t about perfect routines or getting bedtime “right”. It’s about understanding what’s really happening — so you can move through transitions with more calm, clarity, and compassion for yourself as well as your child.

✨ Resources Mentioned

✨ The Calm Mum Community — gentle, weekly support for mums navigating moments like this — is now open at an early joiners’ lifetime rate until 31 January.
Join this month at: https://go.dyfparents.com/calm-mum-community

The Calm Mum Reset — 5 therapeutically-informed tools to help anxious mums let go of pressure, stay grounded, and focus on what matters most: their children.
Get it here: https://go.dyfparents.com./the-calm-mum-reset

💛 Stay Connected

Subscribe for weekly support, tools, and grounded insights for anxious mums breaking free from people-pleasing and learning to lead with confidence and connection.


Connect:
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Understanding people has always been a passion of mine, and becoming a parent made that understanding even more real. My counselling training helped me explore the emotional challenges of parenting — not perfectly, but with more presence, compassion, and clarity. Now I run a social enterprise supporting families through group work, counselling, and digital learning.

Emma Reed

Understanding people has always been a passion of mine, and becoming a parent made that understanding even more real. My counselling training helped me explore the emotional challenges of parenting — not perfectly, but with more presence, compassion, and clarity. Now I run a social enterprise supporting families through group work, counselling, and digital learning.

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