A bedtime routine for kids, with the sleep hours they need

Why a bedtime routine helps

Going to sleep is a transition, and kids handle transitions better when they know what comes next. The Child Mind Institute's advice on helping kids with transitions is to build consistency and structure into the change itself: preview it, count down to it, and use songs and picture charts for younger kids. A bedtime routine does exactly that every night, so the body starts winding down on the first step and there's less to negotiate.

It also sets up the next morning. Clothes laid out and bags packed at bedtime are what make a short morning routine for kids possible.

How much sleep kids need (AAP / AASM)

The American Academy of Pediatrics, on HealthyChildren.org, endorses the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's recommended ranges, given as total sleep in a 24-hour period (including naps for younger children):

• Ages 1–2: 11 to 14 hours
• Ages 3–5: 10 to 13 hours
• Ages 6–12: 9 to 12 hours
• Ages 13–18: 8 to 10 hours

The AAP's other advice on the same page is simple: keep the same wake-up time on weekdays and weekends, keep screens out of bedrooms and off for at least an hour before bed, dim the lights ahead of bedtime, and keep toys out of the bed.

Set bedtime from the wake-up time

Bedtime is a math problem: the wake-up time minus the sleep your child needs. Start with the time they have to be up on school days, subtract their age range, and pick a lights-out inside the window. Then start the routine 30 to 60 minutes before that.

• A 5-year-old up at 6:45 a.m. needs 10 to 13 hours (including any nap), so lights out falls somewhere between 5:45 and 8:45 p.m.; for many kids that age, somewhere around 7:30 works.
• An 8-year-old up at 6:30 a.m. needs 9 to 12 hours, so lights out falls between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.; many families land around 8:00.
• A 14-year-old up at 6:30 a.m. needs 8 to 10 hours, so lights out falls between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.

Kids differ, so use the range rather than a single number, and watch how your child does in the morning. Hold the same wake-up time on weekends, as the AAP suggests, so bedtime doesn't drift.

Sample bedtime routines by age

• Ages 1–3: bath or wash, pajamas, teeth, one or two books in the bedroom with the lights low, a song, lights out. Same words at the end every night.
• Ages 4–7: tidy the room for five minutes (a cleanup song helps), bath, pajamas, teeth, a book together, a short chat about tomorrow (the preview), lights out. A visual chart in the bathroom keeps it moving.
• Ages 8–12: shower, pajamas, teeth, bag packed and clothes out for the morning, 20 minutes of reading in bed, lights out at the agreed time. Devices charge outside the bedroom.
• Teens: the same shape with more independence: screens out of the room an hour before bed, roughly the same lights-out on weekends, and a wind-down they choose (reading, music, a shower).

The last step of bedtime should also be the one your kid likes most, so the routine pulls toward its end instead of being pushed.

Making bedtime stick

• Screens off first. The AAP recommends screens off at least an hour before bed and out of the bedroom. Make "screens off" the signal that the routine has started.
• Same order, every night. Consistency is the routine. Skipping steps on busy nights is how it dissolves.
• Dim the lights. Lower lights in the last part of the evening, as the AAP suggests, and keep the bedroom calm and toy-free at lights out.
• Preview and count down. "After this book, teeth, then bed." "Ten minutes until bath." Previews let kids get ready for the switch.
• Make it visual. A picture chart in the bathroom or bedroom, at the kid's eye level, takes the parent out of the reminding.
• Praise specifically. "You were in pajamas before I asked" lands. Small rewards help at the start and can fade once the routine is a habit.
• Keep the ending the same. The same song, phrase or goodnight every night tells the body it's time to sleep.

When bedtime is still a struggle

Some bedtime battles are about the routine and some are about sleep. If the routine is consistent and your child still takes a long time to fall asleep, wakes often, snores, or seems tired despite enough hours, talk to your pediatrician. This guide is general information, not medical advice.

If mornings are the hard part, look at bedtime first: moving lights-out 15 minutes earlier and holding it for a week often helps more than any change to the morning routine.

Using HouseChief at bedtime

In HouseChief, a bedtime routine is a set of daily chores in the evening slot, each with an emoji, so "bath, pajamas, teeth, book" is four pictures a kid taps on the kitchen tablet or a parent's phone. Kids need no email or password, and each tap earns stars and a cheer. The wall display shows each kid's chores in their own column, then dims itself at night.

A kid's Buddy (on unless you've switched it off for that kid) can tell a calm, original bedtime story with your child as the hero when asked, which makes a good last step. The Buddy is read-only, can't browse the web, and parents can read the chats; see the kids page.