A bedtime routine is a short set of calm steps you do in roughly the same order every night, so your baby learns that sleep is coming. The NHS guide to helping your baby sleep says a "simple, soothing bedtime routine may help them settle", and suggests steps like a bath, a fresh nappy and night clothes, a story, dim lights, a goodnight kiss and cuddle, and a lullaby. It doesn't need to be long or elaborate. What matters most is that it's calm and repeated.
This guide covers why routines help, what to include at each age, and how to make the routine work across everyone who puts your baby to bed.
Why does a bedtime routine help babies sleep?
There's good evidence that consistency helps. In a 2009 randomised trial by Mindell and colleagues, 405 mothers of children aged 7 to 36 months either followed a set bedtime routine for two weeks or kept their usual evenings. The routine group saw significant improvements in how long children took to fall asleep and in night wakings, fewer mothers rated their child's sleep as a problem, and mothers' mood improved.
A 2015 survey of 10,085 children aged 0 to 5 across 13 countries found that a consistent routine was linked with earlier bedtimes, falling asleep faster, fewer night wakings and longer sleep. The more nights a week families used a routine, the better the sleep outcomes tended to be.
The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne (RCH) says that by around 6 months, children can begin to predict and respond to routines. A routine won't stop normal night waking, but it gives your baby a reliable signal that the day is ending.
What should a baby bedtime routine include?
Pick three to five steps you can do most nights, and keep them in the same order. The NHS, AAP and Tresillian suggest options like these.
| Step | What it might look like |
|---|---|
| Wind down | Lights lower, quieter voices, calmer play |
| Wash | A bath or a quick wash, if your baby enjoys it |
| Change | Fresh nappy and sleep clothes or sleeping bag |
| Feed | Breastfeed or bottle, in a calm room |
| Teeth | Brush once teeth appear |
| Story or song | The same short book or lullaby each night |
| Goodnight | Cuddle, a set phrase, then into the cot on their back |
Tresillian's settling guide gives an example of a meal, bath, teeth-cleaning, story and cuddle, then the cot or bed. The AAP's Brush, Book, Bed routine is a simple version for older babies and toddlers: brush teeth, read a favourite book or two, and go to bed at a regular time.
There's no set length. Many families find a routine that's short enough to do every night, even on busy evenings, is the one that sticks.
How does the routine change with age?
| Age | What sources suggest |
|---|---|
| Newborn | Keep it simple. The NHS suggests teaching night from day: lights low, quiet voice, no play at night, and only change your baby if needed. |
| 3 to 6 months | The RACGP suggests a routine such as bath, feed, quiet play, then the cot drowsy but awake. The AAP suggests putting babies 4 months and older to bed drowsy rather than asleep. |
| 6 to 12 months | The RCH suggests finishing the last feed at least half an hour before bed, ideally outside the bedroom, and swapping screens for a story. |
| 12 months and over | Brush, book, bed. The RCH says a soft comforter can be introduced after 12 months, but not before because of choking and suffocation risk. |
The AAP's guide to getting your baby to sleep notes that babies don't have regular sleep cycles until about 4 months, so expect newborn evenings to stay unpredictable for a while. The RACGP's sleep FAQ suggests that between 3 and 6 months a good routine, followed by putting your baby into the cot drowsy but awake, can help them start learning to fall asleep without your help.
For timing, see wake windows and the sleep schedule by age guide.
How do you move the feed earlier in the routine?
If your baby only falls asleep feeding and you'd like that to change, moving the feed earlier is a gentle first step. The RCH suggests timing the last feed at least half an hour before bedtime, ideally outside the bedroom, for babies from around 6 months.
- Start the routine a little earlier so the feed comes first.
- Feed in a calm, dimly lit room, but not the bedroom.
- Follow with the nappy change, sleep clothes, story or song.
- Put your baby in the cot calm and sleepy.
If your baby dozes at the breast or bottle, gently rouse them during the change. In the early months, falling asleep at a feed is normal, and the NHS says breastfed babies often doze while feeding. See feeding or rocking to sleep for more.
The AAP advises not putting babies to bed with a bottle of breast milk, formula, milk, juice or other sugary drinks. Once teeth appear, brushing becomes the last step before bed. The AAP suggests a smear of fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice for children under 3; toothpaste advice can vary, so check with your dentist or child-health nurse.
How do you keep the routine consistent across carers?
The RCH suggests being consistent and sharing strategies between co-parents. It helps to:
- write the steps down and keep the list near the cot
- use the same book, song or goodnight phrase whoever does bedtime
- agree on what to do if your baby wakes soon after going down
- let grandparents or childcare know the main steps, even if their version is shorter
On nights away or when travelling, keeping just one or two steps, like the same song and sleeping bag, can help. If evenings get busy, a shortened routine is better than none.
How do you keep bedtime safe?
Every routine ends the same way. The AAP's safe sleep guidance says to put your baby on their back for every sleep until 1 year, on a firm, flat surface in their own cot or bassinet, with no pillows, bumpers, quilts or soft toys, and no weighted swaddles or sleeping bags. Share a room, but not a bed, for at least 6 months; the NHS gives the same at-least-6-months advice. Keep your home smoke-free.
If a sleepy feed happens in your bed, the NICHD Safe to Sleep campaign says to put your baby back in their own sleep space as soon as you wake, and that couches and armchairs are never safe places for babies to sleep.
The NHS's crying and illness advice lists those signs as reasons to call an ambulance. Book a GP or child-health nurse visit soon if your baby regularly snores, seems to pause when breathing, or has noisy breathing in sleep, which the RCH says needs a doctor's review. Get medical help straight away after a breathing pause of more than 10 seconds, as the AAP newborn symptom guide advises. The AAP sleep apnoea guide says to call an ambulance if breathing stops for more than 20 seconds or your baby turns pale, blue or grey, so call your local emergency number (000 in Australia, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US).
What should you do if the routine isn't working?
Give a new routine a couple of weeks before judging it; families in the 2009 trial followed theirs for two weeks. If bedtime is a battle every night, check whether bedtime is too early or late for your baby's age, whether your baby is overtired, or whether the routine has become too stimulating. Setbacks during illness, teething or travel are common, and the RCH says it's fine to pause and go back to your routine later.
If you'd like more structured help with settling, see our sleep training overview, or talk to your GP or child-health nurse. For parenting support, contact a parenting support service (Tresillian or Karitane in Australia, your health visitor in the UK, your pediatrician's office in the US).
What is worth noting about bedtime?
Note when the routine starts, when your baby is asleep, and how long settling took. A week of notes can show whether an earlier or later start helps, and gives your child-health nurse a clear picture if you ask for advice.
