The Best Excuses Kids Use at Bedtime – Sound Familiar?

If you are anything like me, some days your child’s bedtime cannot come around quick enough. I’m talking about the especially challenging days when you can’t wait for some quiet me-time to yourself to sit on the couch on your own and chill out with a block of chocolate and a Netflix show and recharge your empty batteries. (The Inbetweeners is my current go-to series by the way – hilarious!)

But someday’s even the bedtime routine is fraught with challenges. My daughter especially is the master of stalling tactics come bedtime. Almost as soon as the minute hand reaches the twelve and the hour hand hits seven, and I utter those heavenly words – “Bed time kids,” Bubble will begin to reel off a litany of ailments and complaints to explain why she can’t possibly go to bed just yet.

“I’m thirsty,” and “I’m starving” are the most well-used of these, but she’s tried all manner of diversionary tactics in her quest to stay up later, including mysterious aches and pains in various body parts, an inability to get to sleep unless x,y or z cuddles her (of course x,y,and z won’t be at home to give the cuddle) and other dubious explanations like “I would like to go to sleep, but my brain keeps talking to me.”

Any of this sound familiar?

Netflix recently polled parents across 7 countries (US, UK, France, Canada, Australia, Brazil and Mexico) and found that 61% of parents who are in charge of getting kids into bed at night have to deal with kids’ creative stalling tactics at bedtime.

According to the Netflix poll:

Brazilian kids are the best bedtime negotiators. Parents in Brazil are most likely to say their kids’ stall tactics “frequently” work (52% vs 44%, on average globally), with kids in this country most likely to use the ‘”just 5 more min” negotiation tactic (51% vs 42%, globally).
Kids in Mexico say the darndest things: Parents in Mexico are significantly more likely to say that they give in and allow their children to stay up past their bedtime thanks to cute stall tactics (60% vs. 41%, globally).

Mums and dads in the UK lure kids to sleep with bedtime bribes: Although they are reluctant to admit it, a third of parents in the UK say that one of the quickest ways to get their kids into bed is a bribe (33% vs. 28%, globally); with the chance to stay up later on weekends (30% vs. 29%) and food or snacks (21% vs. 18%) among the most popular tactics used.
·Australian parents are least likely to bend the bedtime rules: Parents in Australia are among those most likely to say they never make compromises to get their child into bed (26% vs. 21%, globally).
· Warning to Canadian kids–don’t try anything cute: Parents in Canada are significantly more likely to disagree that their child’s stall tactics can be too cute or so clever that they give in and let them stay up past their bedtime (61% disagree vs. 51 globally).

Bedtime in France is a dream come true. Not only is France the No. 1 country where kids get to bed on time most days of the week (5.1 days per week in France vs. 4.8 days a week globally), but parents there also spend the least amount of time getting them to bed (12.3 minutes vs. 17.5 average).
The US is the biggest bedtime battleground. American kids are the most likely to try creative stall tactics (66 % vs 61% average globally), and it takes parents the longest to get them to bed (19.3 minutes vs. 17.5 minutes globally).

Other cute and creative excuses and stalling tactics that parents revealed their kids tried in the Netflix poll include:

• “My brain is playing tricks on me”
• “My hair hurts”
• “You didn’t kiss my other cheek and now it’s sad.”
• “I hate the inside of my eyelids”
• Pretending to get married to the cat
• Asks how electricity works
• “How do I say XX in German?”
• “My throat is lonely so it needs another glass of water”
• A stuffed animal is lost in the house and she can hear it crying
• “Wait, I have to put my pet rock to bed first”

What kind of Bedtime Staller is Your Child?

What bedtime stalling style does your child fit into?

What is the most creative stalling tactic or excuse your child has used at bedtime?  

Disclosure: I was gifted a 12 month subscription to Netflix for the purpose of sharing my thoughts and opinions with my readers. All opinions expressed are my own.