Creating a good bedtime routine – any age

• Enjoy the time together. A stressed parent’s emotions are picked up easily by the child – Result is a stressed child who will consequently find it difficult to fall asleep
• 30 to 45 minutes maximum for routine from start to child in bed falling asleep
• Start with a tryptophan-containing snack: Tryptophan food include turkey, tofu, nuts, seeds, milk, eggs, cheese, pineapple, salmon
• Warm, SHORT bath (5 – 15 minutes) – effect is to relax, and cause slight drop in core body temperature which promotes melatonin
• Baby massage – gently, not boisterously
• Straight into a dimly lit bedroom – no going round the home to say goodnight to everyone
• story, song routine. Going to bed and going to sleep are probably the most well-mined themes fro modern picture books for the under fives. I wonder why. Here are a few good ones:
  • Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
  • Cant’ You Sleep, Little bear? by Martin Waddell
  • Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
  • Sleep Well, Little Bear by Quint Buchholz
  • Snuggle Up Sleepy Ones by Claire Freedman
  • My Dad Is Big And Strong, BUT… A Bedtime Story by Coralie Saudo
  • Goodnight, Me by Andrew Daddo
• Rather than saying “Go To Sleep” simply say, it’s time for sleep now, it’s time to rest, close your eyes and let sleep come.