I’m pretty much winging it in most areas of parenting as we move through toddlerhood, but our bedtime routine is one of the few things I feel confident about. We made it a priority early on and have kept it consistent. Children thrive on routine, and a stable bedtime ritual helped get Arlo’s sleep on track from an early age and makes it easier to recover when sleep regressions happen.
I was excited when this became the topic for this month’s Real Talk Real Moms series. Below is our nightly routine, and at the end of the post you’ll find links to other moms’ routines that show different approaches for different ages and families.
Bath Time
We don’t bathe Arlo every single night—some nights we’re doing a quick shower instead—but most nights include bath time. It’s a reliable signal that bedtime has begun. We usually start the bath shortly after dinner, depending on the evening schedule. Jeff often handles bath time; I’ll take over when I want to combine tasks and get a shower myself.
Diaper, Lotion, PJs
After the bath, Jeff tidies the bathroom and brings Arlo in to get into pajamas. We put body lotion on him every night as part of the wind-down. This is usually a playful part of our routine—lots of singing, tickles, and gentle chatting.
Book Time
This is when I take over. I’ve read to Arlo every night since he was born. It’s my favorite time of day and I rarely miss it. He chooses three books each night. Often he’ll become fixated on one or two favorites and we’ll read the same selections for weeks. Reading together creates a calm, predictable transition toward sleep.
Teeth Time
Once we finish the third book, I announce “Teeth time!” and we put the books away and head to the bathroom to brush. A fun trick to make brushing more engaging is to call out people or characters who have clean teeth—he loves shouting out names and it keeps him focused while we brush thoroughly.
Lights Out
After teeth are brushed I scoop him up and he gets to flip off the bathroom light. We play a quick game of “Where is Dada?” which is basically him yelling “DADA!” and looking down the hall until Jeff pops out. He adores this, and it usually ends the evening with laughter.
After a final sip of water, he turns off the lights and his Hatch nightlight comes on. That soft glow signals the very last step of our routine.
Lullabies + Goodnight!
Jeff often stays to finish chores while I finish the bedtime rituals with lullabies. I follow the same steps almost every night now—he knows the script and has started trying to sing along. I hold him, give lots of kisses, and sing a few familiar songs. I tell him how much I love him and that it’s time to be sleepy, then lay him down in the crib.
We talk briefly about our day and what we might do tomorrow. My usual wording is: “What did we do today? Today we __________ and tomorrow, tomorrow we ___________. But first! We gotta go to sleep, so I’m gonna tuck in these cute feet!” Then I sing a final lullaby that Jeff made up when Arlo was born. A nurse once suggested running a finger down a baby’s nose to encourage relaxation, so I still do that while singing; it became a strong cue for sleep.
Finally I say goodnight, tell him I’ll see him in the morning, turn on the sound machine, and quietly leave the room. That last moment of leaving is consistent so he knows the routine is complete.
Then Jeff and I exchange a little celebratory high five because we made it through another day. We try to maintain this routine when we travel, adapting as needed but keeping the main elements so Arlo has consistency even when other parts of the day are different.
Writing this out may make it sound elaborate, but the ritual means a lot to our family and to me as a parent. It will undoubtedly evolve as our family grows, but for now I’m savoring each goodnight. If you’re building a routine with your little one, I hope some of these scripts and ideas are helpful. Check out other moms’ sleep routines for more perspectives and tips.
Lovely Indeed | The Sweetest Occasion | Apartment 34
Freutcake | The Effortless Chic
We have a strict no phones, cameras, or screens rule at bedtime and wake time, so these photos come from a family shoot. He still sleeps in a crib, not a bed.