Night Time Routine – 4 Tips To Establish A Routine For Kids
Want to set up a good night routine for your small kids? Here are 4 ways to establish a great night routine with kids.
Let’s chat about a night time routine for kids.
The topic of conversation in today’s post is SLEEP and making sure your kids get enough of it so YOU CAN GET THE AMOUNT YOU NEED TOO.
Sounds like a pretty fair arrangement, right?
Now if you are a parent then you know that establishing a good nighttime routine for your kids is super important BUT at the same time it can be difficult for families with children of all ages.
Even still, I recommend giving it a go.
If you start introducing a routine early in life, your kids may be more likely to stick to a routine later in life.
I myself am absolutely obsessed with establishing good routines in all areas of my life.
Establishing a routine that keeps your household running smoothly can be a challenge at first (your kids may resist it!), but doing so will result in that peace you desire and deserve.
That is my ultimate goal – to live a peaceful life – and if you want the same for yourself, then you are in the right place.
NIGHT TIME ROUTINE
Here’s the thing.
We all need sleep in order to function well.
An important part of your nighttime routine is establishing a consistent bedtime.
This is true for both adults and kids.
Yes, even you would benefit from having a bedtime.
Enough sleep is vital for your success, good health, ability to cope and the same applies to your children.
Set yourself up to experience a rested, energetic life by planning in advance for enough sleep.
The goal is to start your nighttime routine at the same time every day, and allow enough time for sleep.
For instance, if your bedtime routine takes approximately 1 hour and you want your kids in bed by 8 o’clock, you’ll want to start your nighttime routine around 7 PM.
It makes sense, right?
Night Routine Activities
This is where you get to decide the best way to get your kids ready for bed each night.
I recommend setting up a sequence of activities that you do in order right before bedtime each night.
That way, your kids know what to expect and when it’s time to wind down for bed.
NIGHT TIME ROUTINE
1 – Start your nighttime routine with hygiene.
Start with bath time, and allow a little extra time for your kids to play.
Bath time is supposed to be both fun and relaxing for your kids.
This is the beginning of wind down time for everything.
After bath time, have your children brush their teeth so that another hygiene task is ticked off your list.
Bodies clean and teeth cleaned, yay!
I personally find that having a bath or shower before bedtime helps to relax your kids and makes them a little drowsy.
NIGHT TIME ROUTINE
2 – Read to your children right before bedtime.
This for me is the best way to end the night.
I still personally make sure to read a book every night before I go to bed.
Choose a shorter book if your kids are younger.
Maybe decide if you want to read 3 picture books or 5, depending on the length of the book.
Your kids will soon look forward to story time and recognize this as a signal that the day is coming to an end.
Finally, ensure your children use the bathroom as close to lying in bed for the night as possible.
This eliminates an excuse to get up and provides another signal that bedtime is approaching.
NIGHT TIME ROUTINE
3 – Sing a lullaby or say goodnight to your children in your own special way.
This all depends on the age of your kids but you might end the night with a goodnight kiss, a cuddle, a song, whatever you like.
Your children will remember the evening routine for a lifetime so do something that makes them feel special.
In addition to providing structure and a way to lower the stress level in your home, your evening routine will show your kids that you love and appreciate them.
This really is the best way to end the day each night.
NIGHT TIME ROUTINE
Multiple Nighttime Routines
If you have multiple children of different ages, you might be tempted to throw your hands in the air and give up but please note it’s still important to establish a night routine.
Even if your kids are going to bed at different times, this might actually work to your advantage as you can still use those times to bond with each other and wind down for the evening.
Plan your routine to accommodate multiple bedtimes if necessary.
Expect that this will be the case as your kids get older.
NIGHT TIME ROUTINE
4 – Older children can also help with some of the younger ones.
Yes, they can help!
Older siblings may love reading a book or two to their younger brother or sister.
The important thing is that everything gets done in an orderly, fun manner and that your family takes time to be together and appreciate each other during the wind down time of the day.
NIGHT TIME ROUTINE
Bless your family by establishing a nighttime routine.
I feel like a bedtime routine is both a gift to you and your kids as they will find it easier to get settled at night and you know when you can expect the kids to be asleep by so that you get some time to yourself each night.
It may take time to implement but that’s okay.
Stick with it and you’ll soon notice that the bedtime routine becomes second nature.
You will look forward to getting them to sleep in a predictable manner and you will be doing so in a way that bonds the family every night, with a minimum amount of stress.
So, begin a night-time routine today and experience the order and peace that you deserve by having kids that get the sleep they need.
I promise you – it will be well worth the effort in the end, even if it does take some time to establish.
Much love,
Frances Vidakovic
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I’m Frances Vidakovic – a mindset & action coach for quietly ambitious women who want to stop overthinking and finally take aligned action. I help women achieve their goals and follow through on what matters, without sacrificing their sanity or soul.