Free printable
Broke Dads Club · brokedadsclub.com
Boring bedtime night card
Same five steps. Same goodbye line. Walk them back without a second book. Tape it to the door.
Fill the order and the goodbye line before 8:40 p.m. Post it where you stand when they come out. The card is the plan so you do not invent policy in a dark hallway.
Full write-up: the kid who won't sleep. Fill on your phone, print this page, or save as a PDF. No email required.
Type on your phone before the store, or open the filled sample to see how another dad ran the numbers. Print keeps what you typed.
Who / lights-out
Write it once. Do not renegotiate it at 8:40.
Boring routine (same order)
Say the list out loud before it starts. Kids argue less with a list than with a vibe. Cross off as you go, or leave it as the wall script.
Goodbye line
Identical words every night. Novelty is fuel.
One last check
Then you are done. Not “one more song” as a lifestyle.
If they come out
- Walk them back. Almost no talk.
- No second book. No lecture. No restart.
- Same goodbye line. Leave again.
Instant replies from the couch train a help desk. Stretch the silence after one answer.
Stall or scared?
Stall
Requests keep upgrading. Body is busy. Voice is a whine. Shut the door on the negotiation.
Fear
Same worry every night. Body is tight. Fix the room (light, closet), keep the same boring script.
Night two plan
Night two is usually louder. That is not failure. Count walk-backs. Give it seven nights before you change the plan.
Do not do at 8:40
- Guilt speech about how tired you are
- Threaten a consequence you will not enforce at midnight
- Turn on a bright hall light and restart the day
- Bargain with treats for tomorrow
Tip: on mobile, tap Download PDF, then choose Save as PDF.
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