Winding down for bed.

Winding down is hard when the day won't end. A calm, predictable order helps the body know sleep is coming.

Visual schedule

Bedtime Routine

  • bath
  • pajamas
  • brush teeth
  • story time
  • lights off
  • goodnight
Make it yours →

More ways to wind down for bed

A social storyA calm, sleepy story to read as part of winding down.Make it yours →A first / then cardOne clear card for the wind-down: first bath, then a story.Make it yours →

What to expect

The same steps in the same order, night after night, are what make bedtime calmer over time. The schedule is the promise that nothing surprising is coming. Change it to fit your kid's wind-down.

One tip from a dad who's been there

Keep the last two steps the quietest, story then lights, so the schedule slopes down toward sleep instead of ending on a jolt.