Bedtime routine + Kids, interviews with fathers, Joseph Lyons and Peter Scupelli

An overview of interviews with Peter Scupelli and Joseph Lyons

Joseph has a son aged 4 and a 3 year old daughter. When asked about their transition from play to the bedtime routine, he said that it was an extraordinarily pivotal moment.

Max(4) and Emma(3)

Their routine was more of a routine for the entire family (Joseph and his wife too) and not only for the kids.

Drink water > Brush teeth > Potty > Story time. Bath every other night.

Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

• Joseph was in charge of the routine. So it would mostly be him or both him and his wife taking the kids through it.
• The kids are very obedient and are ready to start the bedtime routine when asked to.
• Joseph tells them a few minutes in advance so as to give them time to complete what they are doing. Respecting their time is a very important factor even according to our research.
• When asked about what makes a good parent, he said “Being present”.
• He really seemed to like the concept around an interactive play board. He loved the fact that it involved collaborative play between kids and their parents. He started thinking about the kids drawings being projected on their bedroom walls as a night light.
• He also mentioned how an interactive checklist, something that the kids can complete would be fun for them.
• He could not completely connect with the idea of a virtual element guiding the kid through the routine. But he did mention that it might be helpful for a single parent.
• He liked the indicating lights on the glow ball toy concept but did not like the fact that it seemed like technology was replacing the parent.
• He beautifully summed up the concepts as:
  The play board: FUN FOR ALL
  Virtual assistant: Fosters independence
  Glow ball: Cyber nanny

Max with his creative piece

Peter’s four year old son is a smart guy, a negotiator. He hates sleeping and drags every activity before sleep as much as possible to delay the inevitable. His routine is a simple:

Bath > Reading books

• He likes to play while the tub is getting filled up.
• He loves watching TV and does not stop once he starts.
• He does not want someone else to decide what he has to do. Our research said kids hate this.
• As he is still learning how to read, he is read to, every night.
• The routine begins an hour before intended sleep time.
• “Chase him to put his pajamas on”.
• Peter and his wife switch bedtime routine responsibilities.
• When asked which aspect of the routine is most challenging, he said it is keeping things on track and by time.
• When asked about his idea of a good parent, interestingly, he said “Being present”, which were the exact same words Joseph used in his interview earlier in the day. He went on to say that being mentally present is more important than just physically being there. He thinks spending quality time with the kid makes his a good parent.
• On the contrary, he said that losing his patience quickly and threats make him feel like a bad parent.
• He said he would love for his child to be obedient.
• When he was shown the concepts, he was particular that he does not want technology to distract the kid so that parents get their own time. He seemed to like the concept of a playboard and mentioned that it would be great if the other parent gets notifications about the routine.
• He was wondering what would happen if things did not happen as they should, when shown the second concept.
• For the third, he was surprised how absent the parents were in the routine. He did not like the idea of technology telling his kid a story over himself. However, he liked the colour changing indicators.