Bedtime Routines

Looking more closely at schedules and routines, it is important to address the bedtime routine. Children require a large amount of sleep. According to WebMD the following sleep amounts are advised:

• 1-4 Weeks Old: 15-16 hours per day
• 1-4 Months Old: 14-15 hours per day
• 4-12 Months Old: 14-15 hours per day
• 1-3 Years Old: 12-14 hours per day
• 3-6 Years Old: 10-12 hours per day
• 7-12 Years Old: 10-11 hours per day
• 12-18 Years Old: 8-9 hours per day

Sleep is a very important part of your daily schedule and with some children it may turn into a nightly battle to get them to go to sleep. Implementing a bedtime routine can reduce the stress surrounding getting the children to bed.  Dr. Jodi Mindell of the Children’s Hospital in Philidelphia published a study in 2009 which found that “the use of a consistent bedtime routine contributes to improvements in multiple aspects of infant and toddler sleep, bedtime behavior, and maternal mood.”

So what is a bedtime routine? A bedtime routine is a set of sequential events that consistently happen before bedtime. The bedtime routine can include bath time, reading time, brushing teeth, etc. A good way to establish a bedtime routine would be to first identify a time that will be the deadline for lights out; the set bedtime. For example, you might set bedtime for 8p.

After establishing the set bedtime, you will want to identify the actions that you and your child need and want to do before bedtime. As an example, you might say that a bath, pajamas, brushing teeth, story time, and lights out will be your list nightly routine. Now figure out how long these actions are going to take. You will need to start your bedtime routine every night with enough time to adhere to the set bedtime.

It may be a good idea to have a wind down time before starting the bedtime routine. This wind down time is a good chance to spend quality time, electronics free, with your child. Some children may need a warning to let them know that the bedtime routine is about to start. Giving a ten minute warning gives children advance notice that the activity that they are participating in is about to end.

So from our example, that bedtime routine might look something like this:

•  6:30p- Wind down time starts, television is off
• 6:50p- Warning to the children that bedtime routine will start in 10 minutes
• 7:00p- Start bedtime routine

o   Bath time

o   Pajamas

o   Brush teeth

o   Story

• 8:00p- Goodnight/Lights out
• 8:15p- Check on the children

After establishing the bedtime routine, stick with it and be consistent. If you find that the schedule you set up really is not working, make the needed adjustments. This will help your child know what to expect every night and help him or her transition smoothly from play time to bedtime.

For More Information See:

·         Science Daily “Bedtime Routine Improves Sleep In Infants and Toddlers, Maternal Moods” http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090501090916.htm

·         Child Psychology Research Blog “Bedtime Routines: More Evidence and Step-By-Step Guide”  http://www.child-psych.org/2009/05/evidence-for-bedtime-routines.html

·         WebMD “How Much Sleep Do Children Need” http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/sleep-children

·         About.com Bedtime Routine helpful information: http://preschoolers.about.com/od/sleep/a/bedtimeroutine.htm