Bedtime Routine for Kids: Step by Step, With Start Times by Age

A good bedtime routine for kids is the same 4 or 5 calm steps, in the same order, every night, started 30 to 45 minutes before lights out. For a 7-year-old with an 8:15 PM bedtime, that means starting at 7:30 to 7:45 PM: bath or wash, pajamas and teeth, a book in bed with the lights low, then lights out with the same goodnight words.

The routine is only half of it. It has to end at the right bedtime for your child's age and wake-up time, which the kids bedtime calculator works out for you.

Why does a bedtime routine help kids sleep?

A predictable routine tells a child's brain that sleep is coming, and the more nights you do it, the better it tends to work.

In a study of more than 10,000 children up to age 5 across 13 countries, a consistent bedtime routine was linked to earlier bedtimes, falling asleep faster, fewer night wakings and more total sleep. Parents also reported fewer daytime behavior problems. The results were dose-dependent: children whose families kept the routine on more nights a week did better. It's a survey study, so it shows a link rather than proof, but the pattern held across very different cultures.

When should a bedtime routine start?

Start 30 to 45 minutes before lights out, and put screens away about an hour before. Here's what that looks like using typical bedtimes from our age guides:

Each lights-out time includes about 15 minutes to fall asleep and fits the American Academy of Sleep Medicine ranges: 11 to 14 hours (including naps) at 1 to 2, 10 to 13 at 3 to 5, 9 to 12 at 6 to 12, and 8 to 10 for teens. Different wake-up time? See the bedtime chart for kids.

What is a good bedtime routine for kids?

Keep it short, calm and in the same order. The exact steps matter less than repeating them.

1. Wind-down signal (45 minutes out). Same cue every night: a song, a timer, "bath time". Screens should already be off.
2. Bath or wash (10 minutes). A full bath isn't needed every night; a quick wash works.
3. Pajamas, teeth, toilet. Build in the last drink of water and bathroom trip here, so they aren't stalling tactics later.
4. Books or quiet talk in bed, lights low (10 to 15 minutes). Set the number of books ahead of time.
5. Lights out with the same goodnight words. Short and boring is the goal.

Adjusting the routine by age

• Toddlers: shorter steps, lots of repetition, and the same comfort object every night.
• Preschoolers: let them choose inside the routine (which pajamas, which book), not whether it happens. More ideas in what time should a 5-year-old go to bed.
• School-age kids: a picture or checklist on the wall lets them run it themselves. Handling stalling and fears is covered in what time should a 7-year-old go to bed.
• Tweens and teens: they lead the routine. Your job is the phone rule and a steady wake-up time.

Should kids use screens before bed?

Put phones, tablets and the TV away before the routine starts, and keep devices out of the bedroom overnight.

A meta-analysis of 20 studies covering more than 125,000 children and teens found that using a portable device at bedtime was linked to roughly twice the odds of not getting enough sleep. Even having a device in the bedroom without using it was linked to poorer sleep. A family charging spot outside the bedrooms, used by parents too, is the simplest way to make this stick.

How to get kids to sleep earlier

Move bedtime 15 minutes earlier every few nights and wake them at the same time each morning. Jumping a full hour at once usually just means lying awake.

1. Fix the wake-up time first, including weekends, within about an hour.
2. Start the routine 15 minutes earlier along with the new lights-out time, so it still ends at bedtime.
3. Get morning daylight, like walking to school or breakfast by a window. It helps the body clock feel sleepy earlier at night.
4. Burn energy earlier in the day. Active play in the afternoon, calm activities after dinner.
5. Cut late caffeine. Iced tea, cola and chocolate drinks count. The caffeine calculator shows how long it lingers.

If your child lies awake for a long time every night, the bedtime may be earlier than they need. Try moving it 15 minutes later for a week.

How do you make a bedtime routine stick?

• Same order every night, even when you're short on time. Shorten steps rather than skip them.
• Same routine with every adult who does bedtime, including grandparents and sitters.
• Keep it on weekends and holidays as much as family life allows.
• Give it two weeks before deciding it isn't working.

When to talk to your pediatrician

Check with your child's pediatrician if they snore loudly most nights, have pauses or gasps in breathing while asleep, are very sleepy or unusually irritable during the day despite enough time in bed, or have trouble falling or staying asleep that goes on for weeks.