How to establish a good bedtime routine with children

Through a sequence of small, simple, caring actions, a bedtime routine helps children anticipate milestones and recognize when it's time to sleep. A stable, similar routine every night allows parents to foster good sleep habits from an early age.

Establishing a bedtime routine can be challenging at first, but it has many advantages later on.

Sleep

The bedtime routine soothes the child and leads him or her gently into sleep. The number of hours and sleep quality are essential variables in a child's physical and mental health.

Good sleep has positive effects on the brain, especially in children. For example, it helps to:

• Integrate learning concepts
• Develop memory
• Improve creativity
• Manage emotions
• Build logical reasoning
• Maintain concentration
• Foster appropriate social bonds
• Strengthen the immune system
• Increase energy
• Etc.

Every child is different when it comes to sleep. Some are great sleepers, others less so. The important thing is to pay particular attention to your children’s sleep cycles and enable them to get enough sleep.

The bedtime routine

Maintaining the same bedtime routine, night after night, is crucial as it gives your children a sense of security and confidence in the evening's progress right up to bedtime. Moreover, since the notion of time is still vague at a young age, repeated actions on a daily basis go a long way toward helping children situate themselves in time.

The pre-sleep period (at least an hour before) should ideally occur in a calm environment, with no screens, stimuli, intense activities, or bright lighting. A gentle transition between the hectic day and the pre-sleep period allows children to slow down and slip quietly into sleep. The bedtime routine itself should last at most 20 minutes.

Some activities are best performed before bedtime:

• Prepare clothes for the next day (for daycare or school)
• Read a story (need for closeness to parent)
• Play board games
• Draw
• Listen to soft music
• Take a bath (to instill a feeling of calm)
• Brushing teeth
• Calmly discuss highlights of the day
• Giving hugs and kisses
• Etc.

It's recommended that parents let their children fall asleep on their own. Don’t wait in the room until they are asleep before leaving so that they develop autonomy in their bedtime routine as they get older. Also, it will help your children reassure themselves when waking up in the middle of the night. 

Sharing a room

When two siblings share the same room, the bedtime routine is likely to be a little disrupted and even more difficult. In this situation, it's a good idea to chat with the older child and explain, in words they understand, the importance of the bedtime routine, asking them to set an example for the younger sibling. At this point, the older child feels proud to teach what they know.

Sleep problems should be monitored as they can affect a child's development on several levels. 

Don't hesitate to consult a health professional if you have any concerns about your children’s sleep habits..

Good night!

Text written in collaboration with Vie de Parents.