Putting kids to bed at night and waking them up early for school, can be a struggle for most parents with toddlers. Most parents have to come up with a night routine for kids to put them to bed.
Many times toddlers love staying so late at night and when it’s morning it becomes difficult to wake them up because they stayed up late. The solution to managing this is having a night routine for kids.
Night-time routines help structure your kid’s activities to help them fall asleep faster, and when followed consistently, the night routine for kids becomes the perfect formula to help you deal with sleep issues with kids.
This post is a valuable guide to helping parents and caregivers establish a night routine for their kids.
It contains a sample Night-time routine for kids which you can use to draft out a bedtime routine for your kids, plus tips for creating an effective bedtime routine; things to help a child sleep, and mistakes parents make when drafting a bedtime routine, and lots more other valuable content you don’t want to miss.
So please, sit back, and let’s enjoy the ride. Let’s start with an important topic of sleep regression in toddlers, with 4-year-olds as the focus.
4-Year-Old Sleep Regression
Sleep regression is the changing sleep pattern observed in kids. For example, you may notice your toddler wakes up at night multiple times, and he finds it hard to go back to sleep, or he is sleepier than usual.
He may also experience a lack of appetite and become unnecessarily fussy. 4-year-old sleep regression can be a typical sign of development and growth in children.
It could also indicate changes in the home pattern, a sign of sickness or tiredness, infrequent naps, etc.
To manage sleep regression in 4-year olds, you need to be patient with your toddler, maintain a night routine for kids, and adjust the bedtime routine to suit this phase.
Also, allow time for regular play so that the child can exercise and sleep more at night, give the child healthy meals, try out a variety of sleeping aids to distract the child, etc.
These tips can help 4-year olds with sleep regression.
Benefits Of Night Routine For Kids
Bedtime routines are super beneficial for you and your kids if used correctly. While it may seem exhausting, it has several perks you should be willing to consider as a mother and here are some of them
- It improves the quality of sleep
- It makes it easier for the kid to fall asleep and wake up
- Foster parent-child bonding
- Improves mood
- Reduces stress level
- Enhances memory and attention span
- Makes the child a more organized individual in life.
Dos And Don’ts Of Night Routine For Kids
DOs:
These are some of the things you should ensure to do to build a healthy night routine for your kids before they go to bed.
- Do it daily
- Short, simple, and fun
- Listen to cues from your kids
- Sleep hygiene is essential
- Makes changes gradual
Don’ts:
Just as some of the ideas in your night routine for kids are a must-so, there are those you should absolutely discard and here are some of them:
- Do not give sugary drinks to kids for at least an hour before bedtime
- Limit screen time before bed
- Do not let kids get exhausted and sleepy before starting the bedtime routine.
- Limit screen time before bed
- Avoid reading scary bedtime stories
- Do not make the room stuffy
- Do not leave the bedroom dirty
- Do not skip bedtime routines frequently
Typical Night Routine For Kids
Here is a sample night routine for kids you can reference if you are stuck. You can tailor it to suit your kids’ needs as not every child is the same and will require a different level of care.
These routines are divided into several sections and we’ll go through them now.
Pre bedtime routine for kids
- By 6:00 pm, start reducing the activity in the home. For example, switch off extra lights not needed, prepare dinner, serve dinner, wash dishes, etc.
- If the kids have to play, it should be done quietly
- Have some time (15 – 30 minutes) of TV time with the kids after dinner
- Turn off the TV
The bedtime routine
- Signal the kids to come to the bedroom
- Let them join you in prepping their room for sleep
- Head to the bathroom and let the kids participate as much as possible. Bathing shouldn’t be rushed, and it shouldn’t be too slow. The whole time spent in the bathroom shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes.
- Get them dressed and ready for bed: When your kids have toweled dry, get them to spread a scented lotion on their body, or use a pleasant fragrance of essential oils like chamomile and lavender to give your toddler a massage. It can help make the child relax more.
- Get in bed: Once your kids are dressed for the night, tuck them in bed, but just before then, make them select the bedtime story they would love to read.
- Read bedtime stories, tell them your own stories, sing bedtime songs or anything that could lull your little ones to sleep
- The use of a bed light/lamp with lullabies or sleep-inducing music with images of stars, clouds, and sleeping figures are things to help a child sleep so use them for your nighttime routine.
- Also, ensure that the room is not too cold or stuffy; use clean sheets. You can warm the sheets with a hot water bottle to keep the bed warm before your toddler lays on it.
- Finally, ensure your pre-bedtime routine and your bedtime routine are consistent.
You can use an average of 1 hour and 30 minutes for your pre-bedtime and bedtime routine.
Usually, I start my pre-bedtime routine from 6:00 pm, and my bedtime mark is 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm.
Mistakes That Can Alter Your Night Routine
There are several mistakes parents make when setting the night routine for kids that makes it ineffective.
It makes it super difficult to get your kids to go along with the night routines and makes putting them to bed more stressful than you’d like.
Below are some of the mistakes you should avoid in your night routine for kids
1. Not Being Consistent On The Set Time
Your kids will not get used to the bedtime routine if you are inconsistent.
If you have decided to have a bedtime routine, commit to doing it every day for at least a month or two before you even choose to skip any day so that they can get used to it.
2. Making The Bedtime Routine All About You
The post is all about the night routine for kids, not for parents. If your idea about a night-time routine is just to put your kids to bed and have some free time to yourself, you are doing the whole thing wrongly.
Granted, part of the reasons parents have night routine for kids is to make the kids sleep easier and faster to finish up some chores and have some free time alone before heading off to bed.
But you will be doing things all wrong if you make it rushed without making them enjoy the whole process. This may cause the child not to fall asleep fast, he feels tensed up and gets you frustrated, cranky, and angry.
So while you set up a night routine for kids, involve your kids in the activities; ensure they have fun while they wind down for the day.
Do not do everything; let the kids help pick pajamas, spread the sheets, clean the room, etc., while preparing for bed. As they enjoy the whole process, you should enjoy it too.
3. Changing Routine Time Frequently
Before you set out your night routine for kids, know what time will be suitable for you and the kids. No point making bedtime is 8:00 pm today, then changing to 7:00 pm next week and 10:00 pm next month.
Your kids won’t get the whole point of the routine, and soon, they won’t be able to follow through with it.
Set a specific bedtime. If you have to make a range like 8:30-9 pm is the range of my kids’ bedtime, do it and stick to it.
4. Making Bedtime Routine Too Long
Our kids’ bedtime routine shouldn’t take the whole night. Your goal should be to make the bedtime routine brief and interesting.
If it becomes too long, it would bore your kids out, and they wouldn’t look forward to it.
5. Not Making The Bedtime Routine Fun:
The bedtime routine isn’t about washing your lads and tucking them to bed.
Include fun things like having family time before bed, discussing how your kid’s day went, a little play at the bathtub, reading bedtime stories, etc.
Things To Help A Child Sleep
Below are some things to help a child sleep easily during night routine.
- Bedtime storybook. For story ideas, check a list of best 50 Best Bedtime stories here.
- White noise machine
- Night lamps
- Essential oils
- Soft cotton pajamas
- Stuffed Animals (not for infants)
- Soft, comfy socks
- Night-time projector
- Ready to rise wake clock and sound machine
- A Humidifier
- Asleep mask
- Lullaby music box
Night Routine For Kids To Fall Asleep
For every parent struggling with putting their child to bed every night, the burning question in your mind could be, how do I make my kid fall asleep?
What am I doing wrong or not doing right? What is wrong in my night routine for kids? Trust me; I know how frustrating it could be. Let me help you with some tips that have worked for me.
Your child may not suffer from sleep regression but loves to sleep late, let’s discuss more in detail some of these tips listed above.
1. Make A Standard Time
This is the first tip for an effective night routine for kids that you should consider. Your routine will not make sense if there is no specific time set as bedtime.
When trying to fix a particular bedtime routine, I suggest that you should observe your kids when they get sleepy and make it bedtime.
Setting a bedtime routine an hour before then will be ideal. Also, determining the best time for rest depends on factors like your family lifestyle, your work schedule, and the nature of your job.
However, try to make sure that your kids sleep early. You and your partner, and the kids may sit together and develop a bedtime ideal in your home.
2. Consistency
This is an important tip to consider when planning a night routine kids, especially older kids.
They adopt a consistent sleep and wake-up pattern, they will have less trouble sleeping and waking because they would have adjusted to a natural sleep pattern.
So, you have to be consistent in your bedtime routine, and this will go a long way to help your child improve sleep and develop his mental, physical and emotional state.
When you have picked an ideal bedtime in your home, ensure that you work with that time every day.
Please do not make your kids sleep by 9 pm today because of work or any other reason, or make them stay awake till 11 pm. This way, the night routine for kids to sleep won’t work.
Also, make sure that the routines are similar each day, like bathing, brushing teeth, saying a prayer, reading a storybook, and sleeping.
When you carry out these steps every day, your kids will get used to it, and they will adjust to these routines, and with time, sleeping will no longer become a chore.
Being consistent with the sleep routine also gives a sense of connectedness with your kids and helps you create fun memories that your kids will feel and remember throughout their lives.
A consistent night routine for kids also helps kids learn organization, making them feel more secure and have less stress as adults.
3. Start Preparing Kids Before Bedtime
If your kid’s bedtime is 9:00 pm, consider starting your bedtime routine minutes or 1 hour before.
Before you tuck your kids in bed, you probably have to go through the hassles of brushing teeth, bathing, putting on pajamas arranging the bed, etc.
You will not achieve that in a few minutes before the set bedtime, so start preparing for bed early; it will save you the stress of hurrying up your kids to bathe or brush or put on pajamas.
They will not enjoy the bedtime routine this way and will act out because they are frustrated and will ruin whatever night routine for kids you have planned.
4. Take Things Slow
To make your kids transition into sleep mode easily you, and the kids need a calm and relaxed atmosphere.
You may end up rushing your kids through the bedtime routine if you do not start preparing for bedtime early.
So, to have a calmer and enjoyable rest with lesser cries and fussiness, make the bedtime routine slow, relaxed, pleasant, and fun.
For example, lift your kid when bathing him, give him a massage while rubbing in lotion, trace a smiley on his face with the cream and make him trace his, blow bubbles with him while in the bathtub.
It would make him happier, sleep faster, and anticipate the next bedtime becase your night routine for kids is fun.
5. Night Routine For kids Should Be Short And Sweet
When planning a night routine for kids, the goal should be to make it short and sweet so that your kids would enjoy the moment and, in no time, doze off to dreamland.
Do not fill up the bedtime routine with loads of activities; it would defeat the purpose. I have read of parents who struggle to put their kids to sleep and, despite the many things they do in their bedtime routine, it is all to no avail.
Trying too hard may make the whole routine futile. Instead of putting in so many things in the bedtime routine, make the little things you do enjoyable and relaxing. This way, your kid would fall asleep faster
6. Use Nightlights
For some kids/people, light tends to disrupt their sleep and make them find it difficult to sleep. So, it could be helpful to use a nightlight in your kid’s room.
Some specific night lamps are designed to create the illusion of dreamland with stars, moons, and lovely lullabies singing out.
You may want to get that for your kid, especially if you are active and don’t fall asleep fast. If you turn off the main light and use a night light, ensure that the room is not too dark.
Some kids may not want a bright light, but they are equally scared of the dark. Also, if the room is too dark, the kid may bump into something and have a fall when he gets up to wee at night.
7. Make Bedtime Snacks Part Of Your Routine
This tip can be mainly used for kids who wake up at night feeling hungry. I used this tip a lot for my baby when I weaned him from breast milk, and I still use it.
Light meals/snacks like smoothies, yogurt, a plate of cereal, and bananas can help make your toddler feel full and stimulate sleep.
Please do not give sugary snacks or drinks as this can make them have a sugar rush and become unnecessarily active instead of sleeping.
Also, if your child does not tolerate milk or yogurt at night, look for another alternative like coconut milk for a bedtime drink. Ensure that you clean your child’s teeth so that he doesn’t develop dental caries and tooth decay.
8. The Bedtime Routine Should Be Centered On Your kid
Since you plan to create a night routine for your kid, it is easy to fix activities in the routine that you think is suitable for your kid, but in a real sense, these activities may not be enjoyable to your toddler.
For example, you can make reading bedtime stories part of the bedtime routine for kids. But rather than taking turns to read, your kids would prefer you read or tell them a bedtime story.
So, it would be helpful to center the bedtime activities on the things your kids enjoy. Ask for their input while setting up the bedtime routine, or you all plan out the activities for the routine together with them.
9. You Do Not Have To Stay With Your Kid
For your 4-6-year-olds, they should already start having a measure of independence, and you can build the independence too with your kids’ night-time routine.
Once you have tucked your toddler into bed, it is okay to leave the room even if the child has not slept. Some kids require that either of their parents be by their bedsides until they fall asleep.
This isn’t bad, but as your toddler grows older, he needs to learn to sleep by himself, and the bedtime routine is an appropriate time to wean him off.
Before you start leaving the room, let your kid know of the plan and explain the reasons/importance while you have to do it. Of course, he may not agree, but you have prepared his mind.
Carry out the sleep routine as usual. When he becomes drowsy, quietly walk away. He may start calling on you but stay by the door and tell him that you are nearby or outside the door watching him, so he shouldn’t be scared.
It would be challenging the first day, no doubt, but gradually your kid would adjust and learn how to sleep alone.
You can use support items like his favorite toy, a teddy bear, his pet, a special blanket, or any other personal item he so loves to aid him to sleep while you are not there.
10. Create A Sleep-Invoking Environment
A soiled sheet, stuffy, crumbs, and dirt all over the bed will not aid your child in sleeping well, so an important tip that should include part of your night routine for kids is creating a sleep-inducing environment.
As part of your night-time routine, you and the kids can prepare the room and keep it tidy. Change sheets, make the bed, pick up toys, put everything in place, and sweep the room.
You can also make the space conducive and sleep-inducing by installing a unique sleep lamp for kids with images of stars, the moon, and a lovely lullaby.
Make sure the room is airy but not chilly. Blankets, socks, bedtime storybooks, massage lotions, and anything you need for the bedtime routine should be in place.
11. Make A Daytime Routine
If your kids follow a daytime routine, following a night-time routine will be easier because they are already used to following routines.
So, start up with preparing a daytime routine, activities that your kids can do during the day and make them productive, and that would easily blend into their night-time routine.
It would make them adjust easier, it would also keep your kids busy, and when it’s time for bed, they would quickly fall asleep.
12. Display The Routine If You Have To
One helpful tip for kids that could help is to hang out the nighttime routine in their rooms or anywhere they can easily read.
So, when it’s bedtime, you could encourage them to read out what is on the routine. It would make them involved, and kids love to be involved. As a plus, it improves their reading skills.
Other tips that you may add to improve the night-time routine for kids are to:
- Massage with essential oils that could stimulate your baby to sleep faster
- Wear his favorite pajamas
- Sing a bedtime song
- Stay committed to your bedtime routine, etc.
For You
Planning an effective night routine for kids will save you a lot of stress and sleep and wake-up time will be easier.
I believe this post has be helpful to planning a night routine. Please, leave a comment in the comment section to let us know what you think.
Don’t forget to save this and share to others!
