How To Create a Bedtime Routine
Pleasant bedtime routines ease the bedtime routine 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 him 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.
Bedtime routines work best if you reserve the hour before bedtime for quiet play. This will lower your child’s activity level and prepare his nervous system for relaxation. Running, playing tickling games, and even watching action-packed TV shows or videos make peaceful transition to sleep especially difficult. The following illustrates beneficial routines. Yours can be anything that works for you and your child:
- Set a specific time and stick to it. Your child’s body clock will adjust much more quickly to the routine if the routine follows a natural and consistent pattern.
- 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.
- 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.
- Get dressed for bed. Choose comfortable, non-binding pyjamas, that are neither too warm nor too light.
- Read a favourite story to your child. This is a particularly comforting routine for your toddler, particularly if it’s a favourite story that’s associated with bedtime, such as Goodnight Moon. As your child grows, he’ll want more stories and more variety. Play soft music while you read. It’s okay to let the music play as the child drifts off.
- Keep last “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 Mummy, she’ll come back.” Kids learn how to “condition” parents very quickly!
