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How to Develop Bedtime Routines

How to create a bedtime routine that works for you and your child.

  • Developing a Routine That Works

    Pleasant bedtime routines ease the transition from being awake to being asleep by helping children feel more secure and comfortable about what they can expect at the end of every day. To create a bedtime routine that works for your toddler and that will serve her and you for years to come, put together a predictable sequence of events that you can consistently follow in the same order every night. The actual routine will evolve and change as your child grows, but the basics remain the same. At this age, the bedtime routine might involve the process of putting on PJs, brushing your child's teeth, and reading her a good-night story. Or, your routine may involve a bath and a song, and a story, and another song, and a glass of water, and another story. It's up to you to decide if you want to make it quick and easy or if you want to allow 20 to 30 minutes for special and exclusive time with your child for reading, snuggling, and being together.

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  • Heather Weston

    Set a Bedtime

    Your child's body clock will adjust much more quickly to the routine if the routine follows a natural and consistent pattern.

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  • Creating a Bedtime Routine | How to Sleep for Children:
    Creating a Bedtime Routine | How to Sleep for Children:

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    Give a Warning

    Just before bedtime, give your child advance notice that the day is winding down. Your child may be too young to judge time yet, so saying something like "five more minutes" is not likely to be understood. Instead teach your child by association. Begin the first part of your routine -- running the bath water, putting the toys away, or however your particular routine begins to signal the start of the wind down. Some parents signal impending bedtime with the ringing of a kitchen timer for five minutes; the child learns that the sound means bedtime. This allows an impersonal third party to announce bedtime and reduces the desire to complain, since even a toddler knows that you can't argue with a machine.

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  • Robert Dant

    Offer a Snack

    A light snack that includes both protein and carbohydrates -- for example, a small piece of cheese and one half slice of whole-wheat bread -- will induce sleep and help him stay asleep through the night. The carbohydrates make him sleepy, and the protein will help keep his blood sugar level on an even keel until breakfast. Be sure to brush he teeth after he eats.

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  • Give Your Child a Warm Bath

    By raising your baby's body temperature slightly, you'll make him more prone to sleepiness. Also, playing with his bath toys allows him to relax.

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    Get Dressed For Bed

    Choose comfortable, non-binding pajamas, that are neither too warm nor too light.

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    Read a Favorite Story

    This is a particularly comforting routine for your toddler, particularly if it's a favorite story that's associated with bedtime, such as Goodnight Moon. (As your child grows, he'll want more stories and more variety.)

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  • Daniel Loiselle

    Play Soft Music

    It's okay to let the music play as the child drifts off.

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    Something to Snuggle

    A favorite doll or teddy bear provides comfort.

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    Eliminate Bottles

    If your child needs a bottle to fall asleep, make sure it contains only water. Milk, formula, or juice can pool around his teeth causing cavities, even in infants.

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  • Keep Goodnights Brief

    Say "goodnight" when it's time for you to leave the room and try not to come back if your child calls for you. This sounds harsh, but if you keep coming into the room you will have taught your child that "If I call to Mommy, she'll come back." Kids learn how to "condition" parents very quickly! Any hesitations on our part may be picked up by your child as an indication that maybe you really aren't serious about this bedtime business and if she yells loudly enough you'll come back and play some more.

    Updated 2010 Meredith Corporation.

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