When it comes to the trials and tribulations of parenting, Kristen Bell likes to keep it real. Between the woes of treating mastitis and her experience with anal worms, in her eyes there’s no topic too embarrassing or controversial to share.
Enter: her bedtime hack for getting her kids to sleep.
At the LA premiere of the new flick Pandas, the actress told Babble about the crazy lengths she (and her hubby Dax Shepard) had gone to in their quest to get more shut-eye.
“My 3-year-old [Delta] decided to stop sleeping about nine months ago,” she explained.
“And every night, when we put her to bed, she turns the lights on, which annoys the 4-year-old [Lincoln], and she will move furniture and she bangs on the door with different, hard toys.”
“We switched the doorknob. We turned the lock on the outside.”
Yes, locking a child in their bedroom is a tactic that’s long been a point of contention amongst parents, but Kristen is the first to acknowledge this:
“I’m sorry, I know that’s controversial, but we lock it when she gets in there, and we stand outside and say, ‘We love you, we will talk to you in the morning, but now, it’s time for sleep.’ And after about 10 minutes, she’ll wind herself down. And then, before we go to bed, obviously, we unlock it.”
Even some experts approve.
Dr Jodi Mindell, associate director of the Sleep Centre at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia told Parents.com that this method allows the child the “chance to work it out for himself,” and if they fall back to sleep without help it could actually prevent creating a “sleep monster” situation.
Of course, some parents are bound to disagree – many argue that it can be emotionally damaging or even a fire hazard.
But whatever side of the fence you sit on, we have to acknowledge that only Kristen and Dax know what’s best for their kids.
This article originally appeared on Women’s Health Australia.
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