Parents spend 6 days a year trying to get kids to go to bed
Parents spend 140 hours a year getting their child to brush their teeth and get ready for bed, according to new research.
A study into the nighttime routines of 1,000 parents of school-aged children (3-12), found 77 percent are left exhausted following brushing battles and efforts to finally get the children to bed.
That might be because results showed it takes 25 minutes a day for parents to get their kids ready for bed — almost three hours a week or 140 hours a year, not to mention morning time routines.
The incredible tally means parents put in the equivalent of nearly 18 full work days just trying to get their children in bed for the night with freshly cleaned teeth.
The research, which was commissioned by Firefly, makers of children’s toothbrushes and oral care solutions, found parents with a 7 or 8-year-old child spend the longest time trying to get their child to bed.
While those with children aged 5-6 spend the most time getting children to brush their teeth, according to the results.
The study also compared the differing approaches of parents when it comes to tackling certain duties and found 57 percent of dads admit having difficulty getting their child to bed compared 63 percent of moms.
But moms have less difficulty getting their kids to put on pajamas and bathe than dads.
Moms are also slightly quicker to get things done, spending two minutes less in the bathroom getting their kids ready than dads who spend an average of 17 minutes a night.
“Every parent knows the struggle of getting kids ready for bed, particularly when it comes to brushing their teeth,” said Geoff Carroll, chief marketing officer of High Ridge Brands-Oral Care. “That’s why it’s so important to find better products to help make the daily routine more fun for kids and less stressful and exhausting for parents.”
The average parent studied said that only four times out of a possible 14 times a week do the children clean their teeth without any resistance.
And 57 percent of parents say their child will sometimes fib about whether they’ve cleaned their teeth at all.
As clever as our kids like to think they are, parents are also always one step ahead. Respondents attributed a dry toothbrush, a lack of the toothpaste smell and simply the look on their child’s face as a few ways they’ve found out their child fibbed about brushing their teeth.
And no matter how much we love our kids, parenting is no easy feat. Three-quarters of parents admitted to feeling exhausted after putting their child to bed, with teeth brushing the most exhausting event followed by getting their child to bathe.
Half of the parents even admit to sometimes feeling too exhausted to make sure their child completes their nighttime routine.
In fact, only 48 percent of parents say their child completes their bedtime routine to their satisfaction after just one attempt and nearly a fifth say their child rarely or never does.
“While it can be tempting as a parent to ‘pick your battles’ and let kids go to bed without brushing, establishing good oral care is for children is too important,” added Carroll. “Luckily you can engage your kids with toothbrushes featuring their favorite characters or even lightsaber toothbrushes to win that brush battle and develop healthy habits early that will last a lifetime.”
Parents did have a few tricks up their sleeves with half admitting that buying themed pajamas, specific toothpaste with a favorite character on it, toys for the bathtub, and books for bedtime help try to make the nighttime routine easier.
Other helpful items include fun toothbrushes that sing or have lights, fun shampoo and mouthwash with characters on them, and anything with the child’s favorite character theme.