The Best Part of Our ADHD Bedtime Routine
Bedtime can be a bit of a crazy time – especially for kids with ADHD who have a hard time with transitions and settling down in general. Having a bedtime routine in place is crucial.
The benefits of bedtime routines are many. They give predictability to your night and kids are comforted in knowing what comes next.
A bedtime routine makes things easier for the parents, too. Your kids, over time, and with practice, can become more responsible for themselves. Routines teach good habits, and make things run on autopilot.
ADHD kids benefit immensely when routines are in place. Behavior problems lessen, the stress of a transition is minimized and they learn to independently perform tasks.
Routines can literally save your evenings.
Try adding a Lemon Foot Bath to your night.
A wonderful homeopathic practitioner touted the benefits of a lemon foot bath and I couldn’t believe such a simple idea could have such a big effect. But after I tried it once with my son, we were hooked.
A lemon foot bath, given at night, is a wonderful way to ground your child. A warm soak for the feet is extremely relaxing and is a great way to ease the transition from waking to sleeping hours. It is immensely powerful in helping an overstimulated child wind down, relax and get ready for the transition to sleep.
How to give a lemon foot bath
You’ll need:
- A large bowl, dish basin, or small bucket.
- 1 or 2 fresh lemons
- Hot water
- 1 or 2 large towels
Directions:
Have you child sit in a comfortable spot – on the side of their bed or in a chair – so their feet can touch the ground.
Fill the basin with hot water from the tap. Make it as warm as your child can handle. You can always add an ice cube or two to cool it down.
Place the water-filled basin under their feet and let them test the water. Once their feet are submerged, cut the lemon under the water and squeeze to get as much juice and pulp out as possible. Leave the rinds in the water as they soak.
Cover your child’s legs with a towel to keep the heat in. A towel over their shoulders may also be nice.
Try to have your child sit for at least 10 minutes. Some kids may get antsy after just a few minutes. You can always work up to this.
When your kiddo is ready to be done, just take their feet out and dry with one of the towels. You may want to put socks on to keep their feet warm, depending on the time of year or temp of your home.
This is the last thing we do before lights out, so it’s right under the weighted blanket for my kiddos.
There are helpful instructions here, as well
Observe the benefits
I could not believe the benefits of a lemont foot bath for my son with ADHD who usually has a very hard time settling down at night time. I wish I had learned about this years ago when bedtimes looked more like two crazy kids running around in their underwear.
The lemon foot bath is also a really good detoxifying treatment for the feet. Tween boys can have some really stinky feet happening and this takes that away completely. My older son even had a wart(ewww!) that was completely extricated in a few days time while taking nightly lemon foot baths! Yes, a natural treatment can be that powerful.
How often should I do a lemont foot bath?
My answer to that as often as you need to. When I first heard of the lemon foot bath, I gave one to my son every night for weeks. He was going through an especially rough time at school and it helped immensely. We stopped when the weather got really warm, but now that school is starting, he is asking for them on his own – and I am happy to oblige.
A warm foot bath is also just a really loving thing to do for someone. It’s gentle and warm and smells really great. I know my son feels very loved when a lemon foot bath is part of our nightly routine.
It’s never too late to start!
It’s never too late to start a bedtime routine with your kids. If you need more help, read about our routine and and all of it’s components in more detail here.
Read more about the miracle of the weighted blanket for ADHD here.
