My niece lives now lives with me (10 years old) and doesn’t like me calling it “bedtime”… it’s “baby-ish”… but she doesn’t have an alternate suggestion. I’m open to ideas?
It's great that you're open to finding a suitable alternative to calling it "bedtime" for your niece. Here are a few suggestions you can consider:
"Restful Time": This term emphasizes the importance of getting enough rest while still sounding more mature than "bedtime."
"Dream Hour": This phrase adds a touch of imagination and excitement to the idea of going to bed, making it a more appealing concept for your niece.
"Sleepy Time": This option retains the focus on sleep but removes the "baby-ish" connotation, allowing your niece to associate it with relaxation and getting ready for a good night's sleep.
"Night Routine": This phrase focuses on establishing a regular evening routine, which includes winding down and preparing for sleep.
"Quiet Time": This term emphasizes the need for a calm and peaceful atmosphere before going to bed, which can be appealing to your niece.
It would be helpful to involve your niece in the decision-making process by explaining why you're looking for an alternative term and asking her for any ideas she might have. By involving her in the discussion, you can find a term that both of you are comfortable with.
Sometimes we say "crash-down" or "splash-down", like a space capsule. You could also try something completely off the wall that just becomes your shared euphemism for bedtime. Maybe the ending of some book or movie you all like can give you some inspiration?
Well, her problem is probably just the idea that she has a bedtime rather than the terms used.
My solution would be to have some sort of loud speaker telling everyone something along the lines of "NOW IS THE TIME OF SLEEPING". If you have some kind of home assistant thing you can probably set that up. That could be paired with warning count downs and automatic dimming of lights.
I actually have a routine on Alexa that turns off lights and starts dimming others for me.