After the bath has been taken, the pajamas are on, the milk has been drunk, the book has been read, it is time to put dad in charge.  

It doesn’t matter who is in charge of the rest of the bedtime routine, just make sure that dad has the kiddos last.  Dad is the one who puts them in their crib.  Dad is the one who snuggles one last time.  Dad is the one who closes the door.

There isn’t an exact science behind this as far as I know, it just works.  There are a lot of sleep books that say that dads are the best for putting kids to bed.  Nobody knows why, but there are some good theories out there.

• Dads are often better at just “getting things done.”  I don’t know if it goes back to caveman days when the men had one thing to do- hunt- and they did it well, while women are constantly multitasking.
• Dads don’t have as much of the “emotional side” that moms tend to have which may keep moms from setting limits at bedtime.
• Dads don’t smell like mom.  Seriously.  This is the number one reason why dads should put their kids to bed.  Moms smell like milk, snuggles, etc., which make children want “more, more, more”.  Dads don’t have that smell and therefore don’t have the association with wanting more milk, snuggles or whatever is keeping your kiddo awake.
• Dads don’t often get this time with their kiddos so it is great for bonding.

Try it tonight.  For some reason, with mom, the goodnights drag on forever, or the little one won’t stop crying.  With mom you might hear,  “just one more, just one more…”  But with dad, it is much shorter and sweeter.

Try it.  You won’t believe it until you try it.  You don’t even have to coach him on what you do (because what he does is what works!)  Just let everyone know the new plan (kiddos too!  Keep them in the loop!) and put dad in charge of bedtime tonight.