A toddler bedtime routine, with a free picture chart

A good toddler bedtime routine is short, happens in the same order every night and starts at the same time. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests three steps it calls Brush, Book, Bed: brush teeth, read together, then go to bed at a regular time. Toddlers of 1 and 2 need 11 to 14 hours of sleep in every 24, naps included, and 3- to 5-year-olds need 10 to 13, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The free picture chart below lets a child who can’t read yet follow along.

A five-step routine

1. Pajamas on. If it’s a bath night, the bath comes first.
2. Brush teeth. The AAP suggests a smear of fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice for children under 3, and a pea-sized amount from 3 to 6, twice a day. Young children need a grown-up’s help to do a good job. Let them spit out the extra, but don’t rinse, and make the toothbrush the last thing to touch their teeth before bed.
3. Read a book. “A favorite book (or two),” the AAP says. Reading together for even 15 minutes a day helps language and social-emotional skills. Silly voices count.
4. Look for the first light. Before the lights go out, look out the window together for the first light in the sky. It’s a quiet minute that gives the day an ending. (It’s often a planet, not a star. Star light, star bright explains, with the poem to say.)
5. Bed. At the same time each night.

Why keep the same order every night?

“Children do best when routines are regular, predictable and consistent,” writes Dr. Shelly Vaziri Flais for the AAP. Its sleep guidance says “all children thrive on a regular bedtime routine,” and that for young children it helps to start early with one, such as Brush, Book, Bed. When the steps never change, a toddler knows what comes next and has less to argue about.

Two more tips from the AAP:

• Don’t wait for yawns. Start the routine before your child looks tired: “Do not wait for your child to start rubbing their eyes or yawning.” The AAP also says that putting your child to bed even 15 to 20 minutes earlier can make a big difference.
• Screens off an hour before. The AAP recommends keeping all screens out of children’s bedrooms, especially at night, and turning them off at least an hour before bedtime.

How much sleep do toddlers need?

From the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. A toddler who naps for two hours needs less at night, so count the whole day.

How do you keep bedtime steady with a new baby?

A new baby throws every routine off for a while. A few things help keep the toddler’s bedtime steady:

• Keep their steps the same, even on nights when the time slips.
• Share it out. If there are two of you, one can do the toddler’s routine while the other has the baby. The AAP calls a new baby “a great opportunity for partners and other family members to spend time alone with older children.”
• Let them help with the baby’s bedtime. A big brother or sister can pick the baby’s song, or turn the pages of a book you read to both of them.
• No bottle in bed. The AAP says not to put babies to bed with a bottle of breast milk, formula, milk or juice, which can lead to tooth decay.

There’s more on the weeks after the baby comes in when a toddler is jealous of the new baby.

Using the picture chart

Print the chart and put it up at your child’s height, by the bed or the bathroom door. Each step is a picture, so your child can “read” what comes next. They can color the star beside each step when it’s done, or color the pictures themselves on the first night. If you’re looking for a book for step 3, Book One, A Light for Tavi, is a bedtime story that begins with the first light in the sky.