RoutineKit

Bedtime routine chart

Bath, pajamas, teeth, story, lights out: a calm picture sequence that ends the evening the same way every night. Print it for the bedroom door.

Steps (7)
Look & print settings
Bedtime routine
  1. Bath time
  2. Put on pajamas
  3. Brush teeth
  4. Potty
  5. Bedtime story
  6. Cuddle
  7. Lights out

In the print dialog choose Save as PDF for a file, and turn on Background graphics to keep the colours. Your chart saves automatically in this browser.

What time should bedtime be?

Pick your child's age and wake-up time. The calculator uses the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's recommended sleep ranges, which the AAP endorses, and tells you when to start the chart.

Recommended for 3–5 years: 10–13 hours of sleep per 24 hours, naps included.

Aim to be asleep around 8:30 pm

Healthy window: 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Start the bedtime chart at 7:45 pm (routine plus ~15 minutes to fall asleep)

Why a bedtime routine chart helps

A consistent bedtime routine is one of the most commonly recommended sleep habits for young children. HealthyChildren.org (AAP) suggests a regular, calm routine with the same steps each night. Putting that routine on a chart gives your child a way to see how much is left, which cuts down on the bargaining (“one more story”) because the chart, not you, says the story is the last step before lights out.

  • Dim lights and quiet voices from the first picture on.
  • No screens. The AAP recommends turning them off at least an hour before bed.
  • Make the last picture boring. “Lights out” or “sleep”, never something to look forward to.
  • Keep the times honest. Turn on “Show times” only if you can actually stick to them.

Bedtime is also when the big questions show up. When the last one before lights out is why the Moon looked like a slice of banana tonight, ahaboo has a narrated explainer on Moon phases you can watch together at breakfast.

Questions parents ask

How long should a bedtime routine be?

Around 20 to 45 minutes suits most young children: long enough to wind down, short enough to stay predictable. What matters most is doing the same steps in the same order every night.

What time should a toddler go to bed?

Count back from wake-up time using the recommended sleep for their age: 11–14 hours (naps included) for ages 1–2 and 10–13 hours for ages 3–5, per the American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidance endorsed by the AAP. The calculator above does the maths.

Should screens be part of the bedtime routine?

The AAP advises keeping screens out of the bedtime routine and out of bedrooms, and switching them off at least an hour before bed. Put a book or a song on the chart instead.

What are the 4 Bs of a bedtime routine?

A popular shorthand among paediatricians is bath, brush (teeth), book, bed. It is a simple, sound starting point; the bedtime chart preset follows the same pattern with a cuddle added.

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