The What and Why of Bedtime Routines

We’ve all been there as parents: you had a long day at work or at home taking care of your child. You’ve finished dinner and as you’re almost done completing the jammies/bath/tooth brushing routine with your little one you’re mentally planning what you’re going to do as soon as you tuck them in. You’re ready for a glass of wine, maybe some TV? In general you’re looking forward to a little time doing absolutely nothing. You tuck your child into bed, ready to say goodnight, but they begin crying. Or negotiating. Or you tuck them in and commence the relaxing, but a little visitor pops in 10 minutes later, asking for a snack or another hug…

We’ve all heard the term “bedtime routine”, but what is it actually? And is it a nice idea, or something that actually makes a difference? Some articles published in Sleep: the peer reviewed official journal of the Sleep Research Society looked at just that question. In an earlier article they found that implementing a bedtime routine for toddlers resulted in less night wakings, and made parents feel that their child’s sleep was less problematic (this survey asked questions about how difficult bedtime was, how well the child slept, and the child’s mood in the morning). This study also looked at mother’s mood, and found that using a bedtime routine improved mother’s tension, anger, fatigue, and confusion!

A later article found that having a bedtime routine ALSO helped children go to bed earlier and faster and get more total sleep. Parents also reported less problematic behavior during the day from their (likely more rested) children. They also found that parents experienced more of all these positive outcomes the earlier in a child’s life and more consistently they used a bedtime routine.

So, since a child who goes to sleep easily and quickly, stays asleep, and wakes up in a better mood the next day is something we all want, let’s discuss what a bedtime routine is!

A bedtime routine is having your child go through the same activities in the same order each night prior to turning out the lights. Essentially, we are teaching a child’s body to expect to go to sleep at the end of these activities. We also want the routine to move from being more “active” to more calm and quiet.

Here is an example of a simple and effective bedtime routine:
1. Take a bath (You want this to be early in the routine).
2. Put on pajamas.
3. Brush teeth.
4. Snuggle and read a book or two (reading a book doesn’t require the child to move, and is the least active part of the routine, making it a great last step. The physical contact from snuggling while you read also helps the child feel secure as you tuck them in by themselves to sleep. As children can be merciless book negotiators, it helps to set a certain number of books you will read at bedtime ahead of time!).

That’s it! A bedtime routine doesn’t have to be a long, complicated process. The key is to do it consistently. I created a tip sheet that will help you create a bedtime routine with suggestions of activities in order of “more active” to “least active”, and a printable schedule that you can hang up to keep everyone on the same page. If you’d like it, click below:

Sweet Dreams!