Bedtime Routines: A Powerful Time to Connect

Our little ones have entered a very big world. A world that they are trying to navigate, and decipher. Everything is new and interesting. Seeing the world again through their eyes is one of my favourite parts of motherhood - the discoveries, the awe, the wonder.

As our kiddos explore and discover their environment, they are trying to make sense of what they are experiencing and learning. Setting them up with consistent routines, including their bedtime routine provides them with familiarity, predictability and fosters a sense of trust.

Although it may feel repetitive, night after night, as we repeat the same steps, this commitment we make to their routine helps them feel safe and comforted. It becomes a prelude to sleep and is an important transition time between daytime activities and action and the calm and peaceful time of sleep.

Not only does this routine offer predictability, a consistent bedtime routine can become a powerful ritual and tool for connection. After a busy day, embracing this time as an opportunity to get really present and share moments of connection with our little ones offers our children something that they deeply crave - our undivided attention. This calm and slower time of the day can also offer us as parents time to relax and unwind, while we provide our children emotional regulation as they prepare to enter the world of sleep.

Bedtime routines are not only beneficial to our children. All of us could be taking advantage of a recurring routine and time that we dedicate to winding down and getting ready for sleep. Offering yourself an hour without screen time, doing a relaxing activity can help promote falling asleep faster and sleeping more deeply, too.