Go to bed with mom
A back against mom's arm and a hand stroking hair, that is where the evening finally lets go for many children. The visual support below holds that safety together with an answer to the question of how long mom stays.
♂Go to bed with mom
A child and mom lie next to each other in a bed with a yellow duvet with stars.
About this visual support
Body contact is one of the fastest ways to bring worry down. The warmth, the weight of an arm and a calm breath beside you give the nervous system something to follow, and the thoughts that were spinning in the dark lose speed. It shows clearly in children who otherwise lie awake looking for something to hold on to.
The trouble starts when that safety has no outline. If the child does not know whether mom stays until sleep comes or leaves after a while, a new worry stacks on top of the old one. Visual support gives it a frame: pictures of the soft toy, the night light, mom lying beside and mom saying good night turn the length of the company into something the child can see rather than negotiate.
Talk the pictures through before you lie down, not in the middle of the moment when the child is already tired. A couple of minutes on the sofa is enough to make the evening less tense. You can set up the same order in the Routined app, which you can try for 14 days at no cost.