Bedtime routine for kids and parents

Sleep problems are one of the most common concerns of parents of young children, occurring in approximately 20–30% of infants and toddlers. These worries are understandable given that sleep problems in young children are associated with neurocognitive problems, socio-emotional problems and physical ill-health, as well as undermining the everyday functioning of the family unit.

It’s general knowledge that bedtime routines improve sleep among young children. Almost 95% of American parents surveyed in 2004 said they had implemented a bedtime routine. The issue appears to be the consistent implementation of those routines on a nightly basis.

This article will explore the science behind bedtime routines and how to construct a routine that enhances children’s sleep.

What are the basics of a bedtime routine?

A bedtime routine is all the activities that occur about an hour before ‘lights out’. A strong bedtime routine will include predictable activities or repetitive behaviours that are nurturing, stimulating and healthy.

The components of a bedtime routine should be ‘adaptive activities’ such as brushing teeth, praying, reading stories or bathing, rather than ‘maladaptive activities’ such as watching TV, using electronics or engaging in high-activity play.

Adaptive activities can be organised into the following categories…

· Nutrition — breast- or bottle-feeding babies or a healthy snack for young children

· Hygiene — washing, bathing or brushing teeth

· Communication — reading or singing

· Physical contact — massaging, cuddling, rocking or snuggling

For many families, bedtime is one of the few occasions that parents can be present with their children. The optimal bedtime routine has the potential to provide children with the nurturing care, adequate emotional and physical health requirements and early learning opportunities that will allow them to reach their fullest potential. One key element of a child’s health and wellbeing is sleep.

Does a bedtime routine really improve sleep?

The short answer is yes. A strong bedtime routine, independent of any other behavioural techniques or interventions, has been found to positively impact the sleep of toddlers and infants.

By following a bedtime routine including a bath, massage and quiet activities for just 2 weeks, mothers reported significant improvements in their children’s sleep. Not only were children falling asleep faster and with less problematic behaviours around bedtime, they were also sleeping better throughout the night. A control group did not experience any significant changes in their children’s sleep patterns.

It may have been the regular and consistent nature of the activities that caused such positive results. The children may have garnered comfort from knowing what was expected from them each and every evening, leading to greater feelings of relaxation.

Alternatively, the calming content of the activities could have been instrumental in relaxing them and emotionally preparing them for sleep. Or maybe it was specifically the bathing which led to a subsequent reduction in core body temperature, easing the children into optimal conditions for sleep.

What should a bedtime routine consist of?

In light of more recent research, the effectiveness of bedtime routines in the improvement of sleep is probably due to a combination of the reasons given above. In their book, A Clinical Guide to Pediatric Sleep, Jodi Mindell and Judith Owens recommend that a bedtime routine involves the same 3–4 calming activities in the same order every night. By looking at each adaptive type of bedtime activity in more detail, a study has considered their impact on children’s sleep and their broader childhood development.

Nutrition

Feeding is one of the most universally common bedtime activities across the world. Feeding is thought to help sleep by promoting the child’s satiety. This is because hunger and sleep are interrelated processes.

Whether you are breast- or bottle-feeding your infant or giving your young child a snack, it’s important to do this at the start of the bedtime routine as feeding may be too stimulating for the child to sleep immediately afterwards.

When opting for a snack, you should choose a healthy option and it should be fed to the child in response to the child’s hunger or nutritional need. Remember to feed your child a portion that is suitable to their age so as to avoid excessive calorie intake.

Don’t forget to follow any snacking with teeth brushing and avoid giving your child excessive fluids as this may disrupt their sleep.

Hygiene

Teaching young children proper self-care habits is hugely beneficial for preventing illness and disease. Bathing can change core body temperature, resulting in improved sleep. Likewise, teeth brushing reduces the child’s chances of suffering from oral pain, which can be highly disruptive to children’s sleep.

Communication

Some studies have linked reading at bedtime with increased sleep duration. One reason for this connection may be that reading redirects children away from maladaptive activities, such as watching TV, which are associated with negative sleep outcomes.

Singing has been found to have many of the same results as reading while also producing gains in visual-spacing reasoning among young children.

Some studies have shown that background music causes children to fall asleep faster, while others have shown that singing has a positive impact on sleep quality among young children.

Physical contact

Massage therapy can decrease cortisol and increase serotonin and dopamine levels, suggesting that massage could help set the mood for sleep.

The evidence suggests that massage supports sleep when bedtimes are more regulated or when massage forms part of a structured bedtime routine. A study has also shown that better results are gleaned when lotion is used during the massage.

Cuddling, rocking and snuggling have been shown to decrease bedtime arousal and facilitate stress reduction. This creates a sense of safety, comfort and love, all of which are positive emotions for sleep.

Although studies have found that the introduction of these components into a bedtime routine can produce significant results in a short period of time, experts insist that you can expect to achieve better results the longer you practise a consistent bedtime routine.

Your bedtime routine should account for the individuality of your child. For some children, using electronic devices may be crucial in getting them to relax. For other children, singing may be too overstimulating to do before sleeping.

The wider benefits of a bedtime routine for families

One study found that committing infants and toddlers to a good bedtime routine led to an improvement in mood among their mothers. It was suggested that this was either due to the mothers getting a better night’s sleep as their children slept better, or due to a feeling of greater control among mothers.

A different study found evidence of a cyclical relationship between the implementation of a bedtime routine and improvements in parental mood. As a routine led to better sleep among children, the mood of parents improved in response and maximised the ability of parents to deal with their children’s sleep problems. As parents were able to tackle their children’s sleep problems with more success, their children slept better, reinforcing a positive parental mood.

Many of the adaptive activities mentioned above naturally reinforce the parent-child connection. The ways in which these activities reduce stress in the home indicates that bedtime routines provide better outcomes for particularly vulnerable children.

As a practical and cost-effective intervention, bedtime routines are an accessible method of improving sleep among young children and promoting childhood development worldwide.

Sleep well!