Toddler bedtime routine. Oliver is three and he has always been a great sleeper. Emmitt, who is one, on the other hand, has always been our little night owl. Ever since he was a baby he would wake up throughout the night and just want to play and have a good time.
We had established a decent bedtime routine with Oliver so we kept the same routine. Keep in mind this is just our experience with our kids. I just want to share what has worked for us in hopes you might find something that works for you too.
Bedtime Routine
Experts say that toddlers should get 10-14 hours of sleep per day. Usually taking one nap during the day. Most toddlers will need about 9-10 hours of sleep at night.
Consistency
Consistency is key. Make sure you have a set time to start their bedtime routine. We usually start around 7 pm to get the boys ready for bed. There are some nights that the boys stay up past their bedtime and sometimes it makes them cranky and they might fight sleep.
Bath Time
Bath time is a great way to calm down a toddler. Emmitt has sensitive skin, so he gets a bath every other night. We like to use Johnson’s sleepy time baby wash and lotion. It is a calming wash and lotion that is clinically proven to help toddlers/babies fall asleep faster.
Brush Teeth
Toddlers will eventually lose their baby teeth but that is not a reason to avoid brushing their teeth. In our house brushing teeth sometimes is a battle, but we want our boys to grow up and have good personal hygiene. So, if that means we will battle over brushing their teeth, we will. We like the Colgate toddler toothbrush and toothpaste. It is safe for them to accidentally swallow it.
Read a Book
We started reading books to Oliver before he was even born. Experts say that it is a great way for baby to hear your voice. Now, it is something that both boys enjoy and look forward to. Check out my post on Favorite Children’s books.
Goodnight hugs and kisses
We allow some time for the boys to give hugs and kisses and say goodnight. Then, they climb into bed or put into their crib and get tucked in. They each have a little animal lovey that they go to bed with. We do not spend too much more time in their room after saying goodnight. Otherwise, they will not lay down and go to sleep.
Sound
Each of the boys has a sound machine in their room. That constant noise or sound is soothing and will help your toddler drift off to sleep. We have recently bought the Hatch Rest+ for Oliver and he really likes the colors and sounds to help him fall asleep. Check out my post on Toddler alarm clocks to see how we like the Hatch Rest+.
Conclusion
We are creatures of habit. Even as adults we like routines. I am sure if you thought about it, you have a bedtime routine of some sort before you lay your head down on your pillow. Toddlers are no different, they thrive on routine and structure also.
I hope you found something useful to help your little one fall asleep. Toddler bedtime routine.
Leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite part of your bedtime routine is. Also, let me know if you have anything else that helps your toddler go to bed.
If you enjoyed this post check out Chores for Toddlers and Learning Activities for Toddlers.
Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram.
Love it? Pin it!
46 Comments
CA
Your kids are developing good habits at an early age. Kudos to you! I don’t have kids, but this makes me think of developing good habits again. Or breaking bad ones rather.
Julia Hess
Thank you! I used to be a Life Skills teacher so it is completely my job to instill those skills in my boys.
Sidehustlerich
My older son’s named Oliver too! We’ve been mostly trying to keep to a sameish routine, but some days it’s just so difficult! Some nights it takes them 2 hours to fall asleep!
Julia Hess
Oliver is a great name!! Yea I feel like with summer coming our routine will be different since my boys love being outside.
Melissa Quan
The benefits to a daily routine is showcases beautiful in this article. Thank you
Julia Hess
Thank you for stopping by and reading!
Nyxie
Having a routine is a sure-fire way to make sure everything is done. It might now always go according to plan but having a wee checklist like this means you don’t miss anything.
Julia Hess
Exactly! My oldest now know what comes next in our routine so that is helpful.
Amber Myers
I remember these days! My son would go down pretty easily. My daughter? Well, that took some time no matter if I had a routine or not.
Julia Hess
We went through a spurt with Emmitt of not wanting to go to sleep. He seems to have gotten used to the routine now which is super helpful.
Marie Phillips
All of my kids had excellent bedtime routines–until my last one. He is 8 and still has a very strange biological clock. He is an easy child though, so we just roll with it. As long as it doesn’t interfere with his daily schedule, I don’t mind. He still gets plenty of sleep, just different hours than most kids his age. If it was my first child, I probably would have gone ballistic at the lack of routine, lol.
Julia Hess
Oh my goodness, it is so funny how they are all different and on their own time frame regardless of what we do. All you other kids were in preparation for him lol.
Tara Pittman
Toddlers thrive on routine. This is something that I did when mine were toddlers
Julia Hess
So very true. It is funny how much my oldest knows our routine even during the day.
World in Eyes
As usual wonderful post, you are building the capacity of new moms through your good way of writing…
Julia Hess
Thank you for your kind words! I just hope I help someone along the way.
Tessa
A good routine really is a benefit to the whole family. How wonderful that you can instill a sense of safety and security by being consistent with your children!
Julia Hess
Oh I never thought about that. You are so right though, it is providing safety.
Ashlyn Rugh
I think a lot of adults could use this same routine! A lot of people are falling asleep to mindless scrolling on social media, a proper routine could help rebalance their sleep schedules.
Julia Hess
Exactly! But I fall into the category of scrolling on social media sometimes before bed. It really sucks you in.
Britt K
That face!!!! It’s so interesting to see how different siblings can be from one another, isn’t it? I have always marveled at that with my nieces – they are so unique with their own quirks and personalities right from the beginning!
Julia Hess
It is honestly my favorite. I hate to see him cry but I love that little face he makes. They are so very different but then so alike.
Adrienne
Bedtime routines are so important. When my kids were little our routine was similar to yours. Now they are older and stick to similar routines and do so without being forced. They like winding down with a book.
Julia Hess
I hope their routine remains somewhat the same. That is great that yours kept with it.
Lydia
I fully agree with all of the suggestions you have made! I’ve got a 3year old brother and he loves his routine, but bedtime has become a complete nightmare for us, he just screams for ages because he doesn’t want to go to bed yet even though he’s clearly tired.
Julia Hess
Aww, poor thing. We went through that a little bit with our one year old. We eventually just had to let him cry it out until he realized that it was bedtime and we weren’t going to play with him. Hope he gets back on track and goes to sleep without screaming!
Bailey Deziel
A bedtime routine is important. Really good friends of mine have two little girls who they put to bed following the exact same routine every night. This really helps set their internal clocks.
Julia Hess
Yes so very true. Thanks for sharing.
Sarah m
The routine you shared can not only be followed by toddlers but adults can also follow them as well.spending a routine life is so necessary for our good health
Julia Hess
Exactly. Adults thrive on routine and structure as much as kids do.
littlemisadvencha
congratulations on keeping up with your routine! 🙂 Raising a toddler is never easy. Youre doing a great job!
Julia Hess
Thank you for those kind words! It is nice to hear it from time to time.
Krysten Quiles
My brother has a toddler so I’ll forward this to him. Thanks so much for sharing this with all of us!
Heather Prudeaux
The bathtime ritual with my girls was my favorite time. I would read to them as they played in the bath. The boys are so adorable!
Julia Hess
Aww, that’s so dear! And thank you:)
Chantal
These is great information about how to create a routine for toddlers. I don’t have children but this is very helpful for new parents or people who don’t know what to do🤗
Julia Hess
Thank you! Even as adults we need some form of routine also!!
Enriqueta E Lemoine
This a very cool guide for toddler parents! And btw your kids are simply cute!
Julia Hess
Oh thank you:)
solrazo.com
I can’t help but remember my daily routines when my children were still babies and toddlers, having a regular schedule to follow makes the daily routine a lot simpler.
Julia Hess
Yes, it most certainly does!!
Waren Jean Go
Sounds like a really good routine for kids to do. I find that kids sleep well when they have been cleaned then bedtime story read to them.
Julia Hess
So very true. My boys enjoy bath and story time.
Pingback:
Kelly Gegg
These are great tips! Kids are definitely fans of routine for sure! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Julia Hess
Thank you! I completely agree. Routine is best!