It's the end of a long day, and bedtime with your two-year-old turns into an hour of back and forth. You keep hearing "just get a routine," but nobody says what that looks like. It is simpler than it sounds: a few small steps, in the same order, each night. Below are four picks from our own line for story time, and the routine step by step.
What does a bedtime routine for a toddler look like?
A bedtime routine for a toddler is a few small steps, in the same order, each night. Pajamas. Teeth. A book. A favorite blanket or stuffed animal. The same goodnight words. Nothing fancy. The details are yours. Keep the routine short enough to do on a tired night. A short routine you do each night is still a routine. A long one you only manage half the time is not. How many hours your child should sleep, what time the lights go out, and waking at night are questions for your pediatrician.
Raising Children Network, an Australian parenting site supported by the Australian Government, says: "A bedtime routine is a series of calming activities that happen in the same order each night." The NHS, the UK's public health service, says to have "a calming, predictable bedtime routine" that "includes the same things every night."
The steps themselves are yours. You pick the book, the goodnight words and the order. If your child already has a favorite blanket or stuffed animal, that's the one. You don't need to buy a new one. If you like a warm light for the book, our animal-shaped kids' table lamps give one.
Listen to this episode
Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicPocket CastsCastroAll players
The picks
1. If your child loves dinosaurs
Naturally KIDS Dinosaur Kids Lamp, Green Dino
A green dinosaur with a little bird on its nose holds up the shade. It gives a warm light for the book at story time.
2. Best for a unicorn fan's story time
Naturally KIDS Unicorn Lamp, Pink Unicorn
This pink unicorn brightens story time with a warm light. In the evening it is a reading lamp, and in the day it is cozy room decor.
3. If a cat is your child's favorite animal
Naturally KIDS Table Lamp, Cat
For a cat lover, this lamp goes well beyond a kid's room. It suits a home office, a living room or a teen's room just as well.
4. If you want a lamp for any room in the house
Naturally KIDS Table Lamp, Alpaca
The white alpaca is a lamp for all ages and for any room in the house. When the kid's room becomes a teen's room, the lamp can stay.
All our animal lamps come with an LED bulb that stays cool during use, and each one comes in a box ready to give. On all four lamps above, you can adjust the tilt of the lampshade. The foldable lampshade ships in compact packaging, with a step-by-step setup guide. You can follow our lampshade assembly guide: how to assemble your Naturally KIDS lamp.
See all our animal lamps in our lamp collection.
How to build a bedtime routine, step by step
These steps follow what Raising Children Network and the NHS describe: the same things, in the same order, each night. The order and the tips are ours.
- Start with pajamas and teeth. Raising Children Network lists "pre-bed tasks, like having a bath and brushing teeth." Do them in the same order each night.
- Bring in the lovey. The NHS says: "Give your child their favourite toy, dummy (if they use one) or comforter before settling into bed." When you travel, the lovey goes first on the packing list.
- Read a book together. Raising Children Network lists "quiet, enjoyable activities with you, like reading or listening to a story." On a tired night, a story you tell from memory counts too.
- Say the same goodnight words. Pick a few words and say them each night. In Raising Children Network's words, "You and your child have a cuddle and a kiss goodnight."
- Switch on a warm light for the book. An adult turns the lamp on as part of the bedtime routine. It stands on a dresser or a shelf, with an outlet close by.
- Ask your pediatrician about sleep. How much sleep, what time, and waking at night are questions for your child's doctor.
In these steps, the lamp has one job: a warm light for the book.
What this means for your family
Build the routine for your worst night, not your easy ones. If it only works when you have energy, it won't happen each night. Pick three steps you can do half-asleep, for example pajamas, the lovey and the book. Add the rest when you can. If your evenings already work, keep them as they are. If you want one small change, try the same goodnight words each night. If someone else does bedtime, a grandparent or a sitter, show them the steps: same order, same lovey, same book, same goodnight words. We make these for children who want the same book again tonight, and for the grown-ups who read it and switch off the light.
Sources
- Raising Children Network — Bedtime routines: babies, children & teens
- NHS — Sleep and young children
Frequently asked questions
The lamp comes with a 9W LED bulb that stays cool during use. It gives a warm light for story time and the evening book. When you change the bulb, use an LED bulb only: up to 12 W, E26, Type A, no incandescent bulbs. The lamp is made for indoor use.
The foldable lampshade ships in compact packaging, with a simple step-by-step setup guide. You put the shade together, set it on the lamp and screw in the LED bulb, which comes in the box. Then the lamp is ready for the evening book.
Yes. The lamp comes in a box ready to give. The foldable lampshade keeps the box compact. Inside are the lamp, the shade, an LED bulb and a simple step-by-step setup guide. It is a gift for grandkids and children, and for anyone who likes cozy room decor.
No. It is a lamp for all ages: a kid's room, a teen's room, a home office or a living room. It works as a reading lamp and as cozy room decor. In a kid's room, it gives a warm light for the evening book. It can stay when the kid's room becomes a teen's room.
A grown-up switches it on before bed, as part of the bedtime routine, and switches it off after the story. The lamp gives a warm light for the evening book. It stands on a dresser or a shelf, with an outlet close by. Pick the spot once, before the first story night.