As any parent will know just how difficult it can be to get a toddler to go to bed, one mom has gone viral after sharing the realities of her nighttime routine with a 1-year-old.
Saige Millgate, 31, certainly has her hands full whenever she tries to get her son Kade to go to sleep. Rather than dozing off straight away, he much prefers to exert all his energy and play for a while longer—whether he’s wearing a sleep sack or not.
While Millgate, from Melbourne, Australia, tries to get Kade to go to bed at around 7 p.m., it isn’t always straightforward, and some nights, he’s still awake much later.
Even as a newborn, getting Kade to sleep was a struggle, but Millgate told Newsweek that it’s “become more difficult as he’s gotten older because he wants to stay up.”
There are times when Millgate sees her son running around late in the evening, even when every other parent claims that their “toddler goes down at 7 p.m.” But she reminds herself that parenting isn’t easy and she felt compelled to share the footage of Kade running around the yard with their family dog to show that everyone’s way of getting to sleep is different.
@saigemillgate / TikTok
“Kade was being so funny on the night I filmed him. He wasn’t being naughty or grumpy, just cheeky,” Millgate told Newsweek. “Kade has a huge personality and is always full of energy. While we try to stick to a routine most days and nights, sometimes, on a hot summer’s night, you have to choose your battles.
“I know he’ll eventually go down at some point, so we try not to take life too seriously in our house, and if he’s not hurting anyone and making me laugh, I say who cares.”
After Millgate revealed the realities of their nighttime routine on TikTok (@saigemillgate) on February 11, the video has already been viewed more than 929,200 times and gained over 96,200 likes. The response has been hugely rewarding as Millgate has also been able to connect with numerous other parents who can relate.
Millgate was encouraged to share the video because she feels “there’s a stigma around anything that deviates from a strict bedtime routine,” but she hopes her viral video will detract from that. Despite what people might think, the perfect bedtime routine doesn’t exist, and parents should do what’s best for their child.
“I knew it would resonate with others who have similar struggles with their children’s sleep. Motherhood can feel lonely, particularly when your experiences differ from those of friends. So, it’s comforting to know there are other mums out there going through the same thing,” Millgate said.
“It’s truly heartening to read everyone’s messages, and I’m so happy that this simple video has shed some light on the challenges of sleep routines, bringing us all together for a good laugh.”
The video has certainly hit home with many parents already, leading to more than 1,300 comments from fellow parents who shared their own similar experiences.
One comment reads: “We are a 9:00 to 9:30 household. 7pm bedtimes fascinate me.”
A TikTok user wrote: “People don’t acknowledge how hard it is for some parents! You do everything right but they just say ‘no’ to going to bed.”
While another parent commented: “The realest thing I’ve ever seen. They get overtired and get insane zoomies and think they’ll never need sleep again.”
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.