The Ideal Bedtime Routine by Age: 0–2, 3–6, and 6–10

A good bedtime routine does one job: it gives your child the same calm cues every night so their body knows sleep is coming. What those cues look like changes as they grow. Here's a simple, age-by-age template you can adapt.

Ages 0–2: short, rhythmic, predictable

Babies and toddlers settle to rhythm and repetition, not plot. Keep the whole routine to about 20 minutes: a warm bath, into pajamas and sleep sack, dim the lights, then a very short, gentle story or lullaby in the same soft voice each night. The words matter less than the calm, consistent sound of you.

Ages 3–6: a simple sequence and one calm story

Preschoolers love ritual and love seeing their own day reflected back. A reliable sequence works well: bath, teeth, pajamas, two books or one longer story, a quick chat about the best part of the day, then lights out. A personalized story that mirrors their afternoon helps them process it and let it go — just keep the ending calm, never a cliffhanger.

Ages 6–10: a longer wind-down and a richer story

Big kids can follow a real adventure and often want more independence. Give them a slightly longer wind-down: shower or wash, quiet time to read or listen, then a proper story with a satisfying but gentle ending. This is a great age for audio stories they can listen to with the lights already off and their eyes closed.

What stays the same at every age

• Consistent timing, within about 15 minutes each night.
• Lights down and screens off before the wind-down begins.
• A predictable order of steps, so the routine itself signals sleep.
• A calm, low-energy ending — story included.

Whatever the age, the story at the end sets the tone. A gentle, personal one — ideally read aloud so your child can just listen in the dark — turns the last few minutes of the day into the softest landing possible.