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Whether your child is just getting used to sleeping in their own bed, or the summer holidays are winding down and you’re hoping to get them off to sleep a little earlier, creating a consistent and lasting sleep routine is essential for everyone in a household to get a good night’s rest.
Of course, kids being kids, setting up this sort of consistent sleep routine can often be rather tricky, especially if they’re stubborn or prone to excitable bursts of energy in the hours before bed, and it may leave you wondering how your parents ever got you to sleep when you were younger.
Fortunately, establishing a sleep routine for kids is a lot easier than it might seem. All you need to do is keep it simple and calmly put your foot down when your child tries to assert their independence and cause disruption before bed.
Keep reading to learn our top tips on how to get kids to sleep in their own bed, bed routines for babies, toddler bedtime routines, and what not to do when creating a bedtime routine for your child.
Why is a bedtime routine important for a child?
Although it should really go without saying, it’s just as important for your child to have a bedtime routine as it is for any adult. In fact, we’d argue it’s even more important to instill this sort of practice at a young age to ensure they’re getting as much sleep as possible.
We all know that a good bedtime routine will improve sleep quality and quantity, but for children, getting the right amount of sleep is essential for teaching them to get to sleep on their own and without your help. Good bedtime routines create a sense of comfort and security, both of which are needed for sleep to come naturally and uninterrupted.
Not only that, but studies have shown that children with a consistent sleep schedule tend to perform better at school, have better social skills, and display better and more consistent moods throughout the day, which is no doubt a relief to hear for parents wanting an easy day with fewer tantrums.
How much sleep do kids need?
While younger children certainly need more sleep than adults, how much sleep kids need will depend on their age. Generally speaking, your child should be looking to get the following amount of sleep based on their age:
- Babies – 12-16 hours a day, including naps
- Toddlers – 11-14 hours a day, including naps
- Young children – 10-13 hours a day
- School children – 9-11 hours a day
Naturally, if your child doesn’t get enough sleep during the night or naps throughout the day, they’re likely to be grumpier with you, which can make establishing a bedtime routine much harder. Ironically, this means you’ll need to put a bedtime routine in place to make sure this doesn’t happen.
What time should kids go to bed?
Again, much like the amount of time children need to sleep, what time your kids should go to bed will depend on their age. The following are the typical bedtimes often associated with varying ages of young children:
- Babies – 6pm-7:30pm
- Toddlers – 6pm-7:30pm
- Young children – 7pm-8:30pm
- School children – 7pm-9pm
Which time your child needs to be in bed by is up to you, but a good rule of thumb is to work out when they need to wake up in the morning and count backward the number of hours they need to sleep in order to calculate their bedtime.
How to set up a child’s bedtime routine
With all the facts behind the importance of a bedtime routine for children covered, let’s now look at what helps kids sleep when it comes to getting them ready to bed, and the good news is that bedtime routines are, and should, be kept simple:
1. Create a bedtime atmosphere
First things first, before doing anything bedtime-related, make sure your children partake in some form of calming activity that doesn’t involve a screen, such as drawing, crafting, puzzles, etc. This will help calm them down and make it easier for them to drift off to sleep once all tucked up. Read our post on how a bedtime story benefits your child too, and make sure you've got a few books they can choose from.
Alongside this, it’s a good idea to dim the lights as it gets towards bedtime, switching from overhead illumination to lamps powered by low-watt bulbs. This dimming of the lights helps to promote melatonin production, which is an essential hormone needed for consistent sleep.
2. Create an easy-to-follow routine
As it starts to approach the time you’ve picked for your kids to be in bed, you next want to implement an easy, 3-4 step routine that they can follow each night and associate with going to bed, such as:
- Brushing their teeth, washing their face, and going to the toilet
- Getting them into their pyjamas
- Talking about their day
- Reading them a story of their choosing
Then all you need to do is kiss them goodnight and leave the room when they’re sleepy but not actually asleep, so they’re not reliant on you being there in order to doze off. You can even try the 'kissing game' technique we describe in our post on how a bedtime kiss helps you sleep better!
3. Follow it every night
From here, all that’s left for you to do is to make sure this routine is followed in the same order each and every night, providing consistent and positive encouragement when needed, and trying to keep the focus off the fact that your kid is about to go to bed so that they don’t try to disrupt the routine (a challenge for even most experienced parents).
4. Invest in a good bed
Of course, one thing outside of your child’s new bedtime routine that you should not ignore is their mattress and bed frame. A high-quality children’s mattress will make it that much easier for your child to get to sleep, and a child's bed frame of their choice can make them more excited to spend time in their room.
For tips on what to look for in a child’s mattress and bed, why not check out our guide to buying your child’s first mattress?
Bedtime routines for babies
As you may have guessed, the routine we’ve outlined above is mainly directed toward young and school-aged children, and such routines will naturally differ if your child is younger or older.
When it comes to bedtime routines for babies, you need to tailor this routine to their needs. For example, a gentle wash, fresh diaper change, and feeding them if they’re hungry could make the difference between your baby sleeping through the night or waking up.
As for helping your baby settle, experts recommend that you find ways to soothe your baby without picking them up, as if you rock them to sleep each time, they may not be able to get back to sleep without this consistent motion.
You can also read our guide to co-sleeping with your baby for information about whether this practice is a good idea or not.
Bedtime routines for toddlers
When it comes to establishing bedtime routines for toddlers, we’re sure that most parents will agree that this is a lot easier said than done. Toddlers love to assert their newfound independence wherever possible, and this can often take the form of trying to disrupt a new or established bedtime routine.
Fortunately, this sort of childish behaviour can be curbed by helping them use up all that extra energy with exercise and play in the day, and by giving them the freedom to choose certain parts of the routine, such as picking their pyjamas and what story they want reading to them.
Doing this will let them feel like they have some say in the routine, and it may even get them excited to go to bed in the future.
On top of this, if your toddler isn’t a fan of the dark or is still struggling with separation anxiety, you can add extra steps to the routine, such as checking areas of the room for monsters with them, letting them turn on their nightlight, and introducing a soft toy or blanket that they can cuddle.
Above all, remember to be calm but firm when the lights go out so that they know it’s time to go to bed.
What not to do when establishing a child’s sleep routine
Lastly, while we’ve talked a lot about setting up a sleep routine, there are some things you want to avoid doing or including as it rolls up to your child’s bedtime, otherwise, you might find it difficult to get them to settle down.
These include:
- Ignoring your child’s complaints – while your child is almost certainly going to complain about the fact they have to brush their teeth, if there’s a certain part of the routine they really don’t like (said dental hygiene excluded), don’t ignore them. Remember, the key to a good sleep routine is simplicity, so if your child would rather be read to than tidy their room before bed, adjust your routine to fit this in.
- Remove any electronic devices – whatever you do, do not allow electronic devices of any kind to become part of your child’s sleep routine. Screentime this late in the evening can suppress melatonin production and make it harder for your child to fall asleep, and if such devices are left in their rooms with them, there’s a very good chance they’ll be on them late into the night.
- Avoid sugary snacks – although a snack before bedtime can help put your child in a better mood for getting ready to go to sleep, you should avoid any snacks that could be considered sugary or caffeinated. This increase in energy will only serve to keep your child awake and could lead to tooth problems in the future.
- Don’t wait for them to fall asleep before leaving – finally, once your child is sleepy and drifting off, it’s important you leave before they fall completely asleep. The goal is to have your child become comfortable with falling to sleep on their own, otherwise, they might panic and be unable to get back to sleep should they wake up and find you gone.
Create the perfect child's sleeping environment
And there you have it; that’s everything you need to know about setting up a consistent sleep routine for your child. As we mentioned throughout our guide, the key to doing this is to keep things simple and consistent, that way your child will quickly associate it as a natural part of the day and it will subconsciously signal to them that it’s time to sleep.
To increase the chances of your child being willing to engage in a bedtime routine, consider decorating their bedroom to suit their interests. A fun, jungle-themed bed frame might be a winner, or a pretty pink divan will have them feeling like a princess, with plenty of storage underneath for toys!
Check out our other children's blog posts, with tips and advice like how to stop your toddler from wetting the bed, and for when your little one gets not-so-little, discover why teenagers need more sleep!
