Occupational therapist suggests 4 hacks to calm down kids who go 'extra wild' before bed

Bedtimes can be quite a struggle for parents. On some days, the kids doze off because they are tired and on other days, they keep trying to find excuses not to go to bed. A mom and occupational therapist, Hannah Sylcox, shared her family's bedtime routine, which could be helpful for parents who have a tough time putting their kids to bed. 

She posted the video on her account @sensoryplay.allday with the text overlay: "Are your kids extra wild before bedtime? Try these four occupational therapy sensory calming sleep tips."

Her first tip is to make a toddler burrito. It basically means using a blanket to roll the kids in like babies are swaddled. "Provides deep proprioceptive input into your child's body," she explains. "This is calming and organizing to their sensory systems."

The occupational therapist's next tip is pillow squishes. Sylcox can be seen using a couch cushion to gently apply pressure on her child's body. She goes from head to toe and then front till the kid's back. "Provides deep pressure, which brings your nervous system into more of a balanced response," she explains in the video. "This calms and organizes the sensory system as well."

Sylcox then goes on to use the exercise ball rocking method. "Repetitive, rhythmic rocking, swaying and swinging provide calming vestibular input into the nervous system, helping children relax," reads the text overlay. She can be seen rocking her daughter on a ball while holding her from the back. 

Her last tip is warmth. She puts the blankets in the dryer for a few minutes before bed. "The warmth from their sleeping blankets signals bedtime to them and puts their minds in a state of calm and relaxation," reads the text on the video. 

In the end, the mom can be seen giving the blankets to the two kids and they seem to love it. The video went viral with 1 million views and it is captioned, "Kids wild at bedtime? Try this! 4 Occupational Therapy Sensory Calming Sleep Tips! Kids seem to be extra feral right before bedtime. So here are a few tried and true tips to regulate your child's sensory system and put them in a more relaxed and calm state, while also having fun with them and building a connection."

Many parents found the tips extremely helpful. @shellbellers commented, "Definitely going to swaddle my 67-month-old tomorrow." @ericarn2004 wrote, "The heated blanket is a miracle worker." @kaykaysfunlife expressed, "Nice!! I’ll try this for my two-year-old. So far relaxing her in my big bed with a big kid book has been helping. But some nights it doesn’t work." @xexxtenderloin shared, "I just did this to my boy after seeing your post lol it calmed him down immediately. Made him ready to go read bedtime books, now he's out! Thanks." @wanderingbaby said, "This is so helpful thank you! My ASD child is like this all the time. He gets hyped when he's sleepy."

Expert advice like this really makes the lives of parents easier. However, some of these tips might work for one child and might not for others. Anyways parents know the best when it comes to their children.