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Expert Reviewed By - For me, the bedtime routine is the most important part of your child’s daily schedule. If you can develop healthy sleep habits in your children it will mean that the whole family will benefit from a good night’s sleep and you will have the essential few hours in the evening to recharge your batteries for tomorrow.
Why Is It Important For Children To Have A Bedtime Routine?
A regular and healthy bedtime routine is essential for children as they are proven to improve sleep and reduce nighttime wakings to ensure they have a good night’s sleep ready to tackle tomorrow’s adventures.
- If your little one is well rested, they will not become overtired meaning they are less likely to fight sleep the following day.
- A consistent bedtime routine reduces showdowns, tantrums and meltdowns as your little one knows what is coming up and gently winds them down.
- Ensuring your child gets enough sleep also enables them to develop both mentally, emotionally and physically.
- Having a bedtime routine for your little one improves your chances of having a child-free evening.
- If you are well rested, you are quite simply a better parent, with more patience and more energy.
The Best Bedtime Routine For Children
Creating a consistent and healthy bedtime routine is about creating a sequence of events that gently prepares your little one for sleep, night after night…
The good news is that the bedtime routine changes very little in the first 5 years once you have it established.
- Wind down the energy levels in preparation for the bedtime routine. Play calming games with toddlers and preschoolers. And spend quiet time playing with your baby.
- Bath time. Have special bath toys to keep things interesting but try to avoid the energy levels increasing.
- Massage baby. If you have a baby, now is a lovely time to gently massage them before getting dressed to increase the bond between you both.
- If you have an older child, the next step is getting dressed for bed. Offer simple choices to help your toddler feel included in the process.
- Offer a glass of water or a bedtime snack depending on your child’s age.
- Cleaning teeth and final toilet visit depending on age.
- Read a book. Even newborns can appreciate a cosy cuddle up with a book.
- Offer a bottle for young babies but try to avoid feeding them to sleep.
- Final cuddle, lullaby and goodnight kiss in crib or bed whilst still awake.
- Lights out.
NOTE: A bedtime routine is defined as the predictable activities that occur in the hour or so before lights out, and before the child falls asleep (source).
When Should You Implement A Bedtime Routine?
If you haven’t already, the best time to start a bedtime routine is tonight.
The earlier your child gets into this sleep routine, the better.
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Tips To Establish And Maintain A Bedtime Routine
A good bedtime routine will make your family’s evening flow much easier, but getting started can sometimes feel like a challenge.
So keep this advice in mind when establishing your child’s bedtime routine:
- Avoid high-sugar foods at teatime. Foods high in additives will make it harder for your little one to wind down at the end of the day.
- Bring down the energy levels at the end of the day. If your child is hyper before bed you will struggle to get them to settle. Have a selection of pre-bedtime activities such as jigsaw puzzles and shape sorters to keep things low-key.
- Give a timely warning and handle transitions carefully. Make sure your little one knows what is coming up next. Young children take time to adjust to what is coming next in the day. Stay present and engaged during this time of the day and you will reap the benefits later.
- Offer two simple choices to toddlers and preschoolers. To avoid standoffs offer simple choices in the form of bathtime games, which PJs to wear and books to read to help your little one feel that they are part of the routine.
- Stick to the same sequence of events each evening. Young children feel safe and secure with consistent routines so make sure you keep the bedtime routine reliable. Use familiar phrases and sing the same songs. Consider using a bedtime routine chart for older children.
- No screen time at least an hour before bedtime. Blue light emitted from screens is proven to interfere with your little one’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Make the bedroom conducive to sleep. Create a cosy sleep space ensuring it is at the right temperature, has low lighting and that your little one is dressed appropriately.
- Encourage self-settling. Teaching your little one to fall asleep independently will be a game changer. Try to put your baby down before they are fast asleep and don’t stay with your toddler until they are fast asleep either. This will help them learn to re-settle when they wake up during the night.
- Stay one step ahead of toddlers’ and preschoolers’ delaying tactics. It is normal for young children to try and delay bedtime so try and stay one step ahead by offering a glass of water and suggesting they go to the toilet before they ask for it.
- Aim to have your little one in bed by 7pm. If that’s too early, certainly by 8pm. Whatever bedtime you decide upon make sure it is the same time every night and allows your little one to wake naturally the next morning.
- Bedtime routines should not take longer than 45 minutes. Keeping bedtime routines short and sweet is more successful than ones that drag on for ages. Keep things moving gently and kindly but firmly.
- Remember even young babies benefit from a bedtime routine. It is never too early to start a bedtime routine, the earlier you establish one the easier it will be to maintain it.
- Get outside every day. Exposure to natural light helps establish your little one’s circadian rhythm and will help them be ready for sleep at the end of the day.
- Keep an eye on daytime sleep. Keeping tabs on daytime sleep will also ensure that your little one is primed for sleep at bedtime as you will know if they’re overtired or still have some energy to burn off.
TOP TIP: Time spent lying awake quietly in their crib is an ideal way for children to navigate nap transitions without risking overtiredness. They may sleep, or they may not but having a quiet period without sleep is better than being continuously busy.
Bedtime Don’ts
When creating and maintaining a bedtime routine, you want to avoid doing the following:
- Don’t put your little one to bed at different times each night
- Don’t keep your child awake more during the day in the hope that they will be more tired at night
- Avoid rocking and feeding your little one to sleep
- Don’t use screens in the lead-up to bedtime
- Don’t give sweet foods or caffeine before bed
- Avoid letting the bedtime routine drag on
- Don’t think that bad bedtime habits will just cure themselves
How Much Sleep Does My Child Need?
It is good to have an idea of how much sleep is age-appropriate for your child, so the National Sleep Foundation have published guidelines as to how much sleep your little one needs in 24 hours:
- Newborns: 0-3 months = 14 to 17 hours
- Infants: 4-11 months = 12 to 15 hours
- Toddlers: 1-2 years = 11 to 14 hours
- Preschoolers: 3-5 years = 10 to 13 hours
REMEMBER: Getting enough sleep is essential to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, obesity, poor mental health, injuries and attention or behavioural problems. But sadly, a staggering number of children do not get enough sleep every night.
When Is My Bedtime?
Here is a breakdown of the most age-appropriate time for your little one to go to bed:
0-4 Months Old Bedtime
- No strict bedtime routine
- Feed whenever, sleep whenever, play whenever
- By 4 months, you should be aiming to have an evening feed for baby between 6-7pm.
- You should then aim to have a dream feed between 11-12pm, with the aim of getting 4 hours of decent sleep before the next feed in the morning.
4-6 Months Old Bedtime
- Now is a great time to begin to introduce a more reliable bedtime routine. Remember to take it slow and use gentle encouragement by using books and dimly lit rooms to promote a gentle wind down before going to sleep.
- Ideally, aim to feed baby between 7-8pm before being put down.
- Followed by a feed just before you go to bed. Again, all with the aim of having 4-5 solid hours of sleep before the next feed for baby in the morning.
6-12 Months Old Bedtime
- Hopefully, you will have weened baby off of nighttime feeds by now, allowing everyone to have the opportunity to sleep through the night as much as possible.
- Ideally, bedtime should be between 7pm and 7.30pm.
- Aim to start your bath, book & bedtime routine around 1 hour earlier than bedtime to encourage a slow wind down in preparation for sleep.
12-24 Months Old Bedtime
- Bedtime should be between 7pm and 7.30pm.
- Aim to start your bath, book & bedtime routine around 1 hour earlier than bedtime to encourage a slow wind down in preparation for sleep.
2-5 Years Old Bedtime
- Bedtime should be between 7pm and 8pm.
- Aim to start your bath, book & bedtime routine around 1 hour earlier than bedtime to encourage a slow wind down in preparation for sleep.
REMEMBER: To ensure your toddler gets enough sleep to support their brain’s growth and development as well as their physical development, bedtime should be no later than 8pm.
Bedtime Routine Charts And Their Benefits
A bedtime routine chart is an interactive and adaptable printable routine that will help to keep you and your children on track of the sequence of events running up to lights out.
Bedtime routine charts will help older children see what is coming up and encourage them to engage in the routine rather than fight with you about the process.
How To Use A Bedtime Routine Chart
Well, firstly you need to download this printable by clicking the button below.
Simply, click the button and you’ll have the PDF instantly.
You can save these bedtime routine charts wherever you like and print them off as many times as you would like.
Download My Bedtime Routine Chart
Once you have downloaded the bedtime routine chart, you will need to print it off (ideally on thicker stock paper as it’s a bit more robust) and cut up the individual task cards using scissors or a paper cutter (like this one) which will make things much quicker.
You can then personalise the blank tasks with specific actions that your little one needs to do every night… (this is a wonderful craft activity to do with your little one).
I then highly recommend that you seal every part of the bedtime routine chart using a laminator to ensure that they can withstand a lot of use.
For the next step, you will need to invest in some white Velcro stickers to attach to the back of the tasks and the front of the chart.
I suggest having the “hook” side of the velcro on the chart and the “furry side” on the tasks as this will make it easier for your child to move the cards around and give your chart a longer life.
If you haven’t already, here’s the button to download your bedtime routine chart PDF.
Download My Bedtime Routine Chart
PS: Feel free to print off extra chart pages if you have more than 10 tasks to complete every evening.
Why Do You Need A Bedtime Routine Chart?
Routines and charts have been proven time and time again to be highly effective tools to help children predict what’s coming up in their day.
This makes the transition from task to task much easier for their brains to handle and helps your child feel that they have some control over their lives.
And if children feel in control and listened to, it will make the bedtime routine much easier to complete.
When Can You Start Using A Bedtime Routine Chart?
You can start using a bedtime routine chart when your child is at least 2 years old.
This is because a child under 2 years of age will not be able to follow the routine or understand the relevance of moving the tasks from “To-Do” over to “Done”.
However, THIS DOES NOT MEAN that a bedtime routine should not be established.
It just means that a bedtime routine chart will not be a useful tool at this point in your child’s development.
How Can We Motivate Our Kids To Follow A Bedtime Routine Chart?
The best way to motivate your children to follow a bedtime routine chart is to get them involved in the process.
- Let them help you choose a colourful chart or create one together.
- Find a chart that they can move the activities around on or encourage your child to add stickers and stars to it.
- Place the chart in an obvious eye-height position so your child can see it and move the tasks from “To-Do” to “Done” as they go along.
- Finally, let your child take control by asking them what comes next in the routine or by pretending to make a mistake about what comes next… ‘Pyjamas before bathtime?! Don’t be silly!’.
Need More Parenting Help?
- Download our FREE Perfect Sleep Cheat Sheet. It’s a free, easy-to-use and proven formula designed for parents of 0-5 year olds to master the art of consistently undisturbed and restful sleep without the yelling, nagging or exhausting long-winded evenings.
- Check out our Parenting Toolbox. You’ll get access to expertly-chosen products that you can guarantee are the best for your little one and your wallet.
- Ready to create the calm, peaceful evenings you deserve? Then checkout our most popular course - The Bedtime Battles Masterclass
A bedtime & nap cheat sheet so good your little one will ask you to put them to bed...
Laura Williams "This is a life saver! I'm so glad I downloaded your bedtime & nap cheat sheet. My little one actually asked me to put him to bed last night! Unbelievable! Thank you so much!"
Click Here For The FREE Cheat Sheet
