How do you get your kids to sleep at night?

http://www.dramau.net/ and www.twittermoms.com is sponsoring a blogger contest. Answer teh question: What are your five tips & tricks for getting your kids to bed on time and getting them to stay in bed?

I've rarely had a problem getting my kids to sleep at night. I've stuck to the same ritual since I was able to start them on a regular bedtime.

1. Start them off early around 1 1/2 to two years old.

2. Decide on a bedtime and stick to it as much as possible. My kids bedtime is 8 pm except weekends and special days it's 9pm. (2 of my boys are 5 and 7).

3. Make it a soothing routine for bed. Take a bath/shower, then brush teeth then it's story time so there's kind of reward for completing the things they have to.

4. If you have to change the routine for a night or 2 (for example staying up for new year's eve) let them know what time it is and why they got to stay up for example: IT's new year'e eve so you get to stay up until midnight which is really late but it's a treat for the holiday"

5. Cut off any junk food such as soda and sugary snacks at least 2 hours before bedtime. This will help them to sleep better.

Most importantly stick to the routine as much as possible. My kids never give me trouble about going to bed because I've done the same routine for several years. As they get older you can adjust as you see fit.

Don't forget to check out http://www.dramau.net/ and www.twittermoms.com. If I win the blogging contest one of my lucky readers will also win.