A soothing and consistent bedtime ritual is a key element when it comes to putting your child to bed.  As a newborn, your child will sleep when they need to sleep so a bedtime ritual isn’t necessary, but when they reach four months old you probably want to have one in place.  By the time your child is a toddler having a consistent bedtime ritual is extremely important.

The bedtime ritual is a way to help your child transition from being awake to asleep.   During the toddler years this becomes very important since toddlers tend to have greater difficulties with transitions in general.  Even before these years, infants realize that the world goes on without them when they are in their rooms.  Many of them will protest going to bed since they don’t want to miss anything that is happening.  Having a consistent bedtime ritual when your child is sleepy but not overtired will really help eliminate these struggles. 

It is helpful to have a bedtime ritual for both naptime and bedtime.  In order for the bedtime ritual to be successful it needs to be soothing, and part of it should take place in the child’s bedroom.  Having part of it in the bedroom helps build positive associations with the room and will make your child’s room a special place for them to be.  As any parent who has tried to put a child to bed the day before or the day of a holiday knows trying to get an excited child to go to sleep is not the easiest thing to do.  

Parents who work often complain about feeling left out of their child’s life.  Involvement in the bedtime ritual is a great way for a working parent to connect if they have been away all day.  It also serves as a good way to bond, and will quickly be seen as a special time for both parent and child.  My 4 year old son and I use his bedtime routine to talk about “our favorite parts” of the day.  We also talk about the things that made us sad, angry and laugh during the day.  We both look forward to this part of the routine and even if my wife is putting him to bed, I will often take over the end the routine so I don’t miss this part.  

Children thrive on routine and are the most comfortable when life is predictable.  It is important to have a set bedtime but as we all know, some days are busier then others.  If your child has expended a lot of energy at a play date or the park and you think they will be overtired when it comes time to go to sleep it is fine to move the bedtime a little early.  Occasionally adjusting the bedtime to match the day is fine, and should not throw things off too much if you make sure that the bedtime routine stays the same. 

Sleep is a very important part of your child’s development.  When you ensure your child gets the sleep that they need you are making sure that your child will develop to their fullest potential.  Avoiding bedtime struggles is one way we can make sure that our children are well rested and able to be at their best all day.