Early bedtimes mean better sleep for toddlers. Here, you’ll find information on how to create a daily and nightly routine to support an early bedtime. Most parents know from experience that if left to their own devices, most toddlers would prefer not to have a bedtime. They know that toddlers will typically express their preference for late nights with mommy and daddy by becoming very lively during evening and throwing tantrums when any mentions of “sleep” or “night-night” or “bedtime” are made.
The most common and traditional approach to avoiding such tantrums is to give into toddlers’ demands and allow them to stay up late into the night. Even sometimes you are worried due to Baby Sleep Problems and you have to find solutions. Doing this, after all, as many parents, grandparents, and others have long assumed, will allow the child to become so tired that they will sleep better and longer at night. And, this theory is shared by the older generation of sleep experts, such as Richard Ferber.
More recent sleep experts, however, such as Elizabeth Pantley of the No Cry Sleep Solution and Tracy Hogg of The Baby Whisperer series advocate that rather than allowing toddlers to have late bedtimes, they should be given earlier bedtimes. They argue that earlier bedtimes (between 6:30 pm and 8:00 pm) are the ideal times to put down a child to prevent overtiredness and overstimulation.
Creating an Earlier Bedtime
To get your toddler to sleep earlier in the evening, you must create, what Pantley calls, “routine days and routine nights.” This means having reasonably consistent days and nights for your child.
During the day, toddlers need a consistent routine for napping, eating, activity, and sleeping. And, at night, they need a consistent bedtime routine and time for sleep.
Below are some tips for creating consistent routines during the day and night.
Creating Routines for Day and Night
In general, your toddler’s day routine should be built around three elements: sleep, eat, and activity. And, the sleep routine will guide the other two elements, or when your toddler eats and his/her activity times.
Note: As a general rule, eating times should be spaced closer to naps and activity times should be spaced before eating times.
To make this clearer, here is a sample daytime routine for a toddler:
- 7:00 – awake for the day
- get dressed
- have breakfast
- playtime
- 12:00-12:30 – lunch
- 12:30-1:00 – nap
- snacktime
- playtime
- 5:30 – dinner
- 6:30-7:00 – bath and bedtime routine
- 7:30-8:00 – bedtime
So, the first step to creating a flexible day routine is to figure out your child’s preferred sleep times; their eat and activity times should fit around those times.
To figure out your toddler’s nap times, you will need to observe your child for at least at week. Record in a “sleep log” when your child falls asleep for naps, how they fall asleep (i.e. by rocking, nursing, etc), their tired signs (i.e., looking away, rubbing eyes with hands, etc.) and their awake times (when they awaken from their nap(s).
Once you have determined the time frames that your child generally naps and have figured out their tired signs, then you can create a nap time routine. Your routine can include the reading of a book, signing, etc.
Write down your child’s nap time schedule and from there, write down a rough schedule for when they should be eating and having their activity times.
An hour from dinner, you should begin your child’s bedtime routine. Here is a sample infant bed routine for the routine above:
- 6:30-7:00 – bath
- massage with baby oil
- put on diaper and pajamas
- sing two songs and read two books
- lights out
- rub back
- sleep
Solutions for Handling Common Challenges
As most parents who have made the transition to an earlier bedtime will tell you, it’s not easy. In the beginning of making the transition you will encounter many challenges and some resistance on the part of your toddler. You’ll want to turn back to the later bedtime because, at least in the beginning, it will seem easier.
To help you stick to the plan, below are some common challenges and some solutions to those challenges:
Problem: Child not sleeping at earlier bedtime
If your child is only used to sleeping at midnight, making a drastic change like imposing a 7 pm bedtime may prove challenging. For this reason, you should begin by adjusting your toddler’s sleep time earlier than usual routine. Give time to your toddler and watch their signs to gauge their preferred bedtime.
Problem: Child waking prematurely
If the new bedtime is treated like a nap by your little one, you should remain persistent. Keep the lights down, minimize distractions and noise, and assist your child back to sleep. Soon, their bodies will adjust and they will begin sleeping longer at night.
Changing your child’s bedtime to an earlier time, while challenging at first, is well worth it. As a parent, you will find that your child will be more rested during the day and that you’ll have more time in the evening for some much needed “me” time.
