5 Signs Your Bedtime Routine Isn’t Working
Bedtime is the most important part of your child’s day! Without the perfect bedtime routine you are missing out on a key aspect that sets your child up for a great night’s sleep.
The perfect bedtime routine should be optimized, encourage calmness, and signal to your child that sleep is coming next.
I am hosting a FREE Seminar next week on why a bedtime routine is so important and how to create the perfect routine that will have your child falling in love with going to sleep.
Not sure if you need this?
Read through these 5 signs that your bedtime routine isn’t working right now…or won’t be in the future.
And if you don’t even have a bedtime routine yet then you definitely want to attend this free event!
1. It’s Chaotic
One of the key aspects of a bedtime routine is that it encourages calmness. If your bedtime routine is chaotic – there’s lots of crying/yelling, rambunctious kids, constant negotiations, you are bouncing around from room to room – then it’s time to upgrade your bedtime to one that is calm and flows well. A calm bedtime routine is going to help your child settle into a quality night’s sleep.
2. It’s Different Every Night
In order for the bedtime routine to be effective, it needs to be predictable. The predictability of the bedtime routine is what is going to signal to your little that sleep is coming next. We are all creatures of habit, but babies and children, in particular thrive on routines.
If your bedtime routine is different every night – different bedtime activities, different order of activities, different room of the house – then that is a sign that your bedtime routine isn’t working. You are missing out on the magic that a consistent and predictable routine can offer your family.
3. It’s Too Long or Too Short
The bedtime routine is a key event in your child’s day. If it’s too long, then the activities just muddle together with the rest of the day and it loses it’s effectiveness.
If it’s too short, then it doesn’t have enough significance it to do its job – calm your child and communicate to them that sleep is coming next.
So how long should the bedtime routine be?
On average about 20-40 minutes long. Give or take a few minutes depending on your child’s age and whether you include a bath as part of the bedtime routine.
If your bedtime routine is shorter than 20 minutes or longer than 40 (whether that’s because your little won’t stay on track or because there are too many activities happening), then that is a definite sign that your bedtime routine isn’t working
4. It’s No Longer Serving Your Child
Speaking of age…your child’s bedtime routine will change as they develop. A newborn certainly won’t have the same bedtime routine as a toddler.
At a certain point a feeding will no longer be relevant in the bedtime routine. As your child develops an attention span, they will become interested in reading longer books. At a certain point you may want to transition from singing lullabies before bed to perhaps meditation or a quiet chat about their day.
Perhaps the current bedtime routine is no longer working for you because you’ve added another child to your family and now you need to find a way to do a bedtime routine with an infant AND a toddler.
If your current bedtime routine is no longer serving your child or your family, then it’s time to upgrade your bedtime routine to one that is more developmentally appropriate or fits better with your growing family.
5. You Are Dreading It
Bedtime should be enjoyable for you and your little one. If you are putting it off each evening because you just don’t want to do it (for whatever reason that may be), then it’s time to upgrade your routine.
If you have negative energy around bedtime, then your child will pick up on that and may develop their own negative energy around this important part of their day. The last thing we want is for our kids to not love going to bed.
As much as you want your child’s bedtime to be a calm, enjoyable end to each day, your child wants this too (even if it seems like they don’t)!
If you are dreading bedtime for any reason that that is a sure sign that your bedtime routine isn’t working. Let’s make bedtime a time that you and your child both enjoy!
Bedtime Routine Isn’t Working?
Come to the FREE Seminar: Bedtime Made Easy
If any of these 5 signs that your bedtime routine isn’t working applies to your family, then register to attend my FREE Seminar: Bedtime Made Easy. I will be teaching you why bedtime is the most important part of your child’s day and how to create the perfect bedtime routine that will have your child falling in love with going to bed.
And even if none of these 5 signs apply to your family right now but you still want to ensure that your bedtime routine is the best it can be as your child gets older, come join me on August 9th (there will be a replay). There is always more to learn!
See you next week!
💜 Melissa
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