Peggy Rick

A parent educator for over 33 years, Peggy has a B.A in Educational Psychology/Special Education and an Early Childhood Parent Educator license. She is the Family Services Coordinator for SLP Creative Play Pre K and an ECFE Parent Educator.

Peggy is a leader in her field, delivering workshops at national conferences on the MN Indicators of Progress as used in the SLP-PreK programs. She is also an Early Childhood Teacher with the City of Plymouth Parks and Recreation Department. For the past 28 years, Peggy has helped adults and children achieve their fitness goals as a Jazzercise franchisee in St. Louis Park and in Eden Prairie’s Especially For Children Center where she is also a speaker on child development, enrichment and fitness for children.

Peggy’s commitment to children and families and her work as a Children First Asset Champion were recently highlighted in the Children First Champions coloring book where Peggy is pictured as a Real Life Super Hero and described as the “go to” person for parents looking for child development tips for their toddlers and preschoolers.

Ask Peggy
Need an opinion you can trust? Ask early childhood expert Peggy Rick your questions and get simple, straightforward advice and tips that make parenting easier.

E-mail Peggy your questions. Twice each month, Peggy will select questions from those sent in and post her replies and other important parenting tips on this page.

Dear Peggy:
Bed time remains a problem for us. I have read all of the books. What else can we do?

Bedtime can be a difficult time for parents and children. It’s the time of day when everyone is tired, patience has been exhausted and tempers are short, making cooperation regarding bedtime seem nearly impossible.

Suggestions from “A bedside guide to parenting”:
Set a realistic bedtime. Consider:
• amount of sleep each child needs
• schedule needs of child and family
• parent’s needs for some time alone

Plan a bedtime routine:
• short and simple works very well_ a bedtime story or two on mom or dad’s lap, a lullaby and a goodnight hug and kiss.
• a routine beyond 5-10 minutes may be too long.
• cut down on fluids in evenings (caffeine particularly)
• Provide a quiet time before bedtime- reading, playing a game, soft music, dim lights etc.
• Early in the day set the time limit and ground rules for bedtime routines to avoid arguments at bedtime.
• Warn the child a few minutes before it is time for bed so he has time to transition.
• Leave a book or toy in bed with the child in case he is not tired at bedtime.

Good luck.