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A bedtime routine helps to regulate children’s body clocks and aids relaxation, leading to a good night’s sleep. Trying a new bedtime routine might worsen sleep patterns before they get better. Consistency is important and we advise sticking to the new routine for at least two weeks before you start to see some positive changes.

Make sure your child only uses their bed for sleep in order to associate it with relaxation and a pre-bedtime ritual such as reading a book, rather than homework, gaming or playing with toys, for example.

Avoid using your child’s bed for time-out, or they’ll learn to associate it with punishment.

Cortisol is a hormone that is raised during times of stress and makes us feel alert and awake. It naturally reduces at night so that we can sleep. If your child is anxious at bedtime, their cortisol levels will be raised, and they will find it difficult to sleep.

These fears are very normal and usually start showing up around the age of two. The reason for this is that a toddler’s mind is maturing, their memory is getting longer, and their imagination continues to develop. They are starting to become more aware that there are things that can hurt them. They may have even watched a show or read a book that frightened them.

The following advice is only recommended for children who are over the age of 12 months.

Body temperature fluctuates during the day. Your child’s body temperature will peak late afternoon and then start to drop in the evening. About two hours before bed, core body temperature lowers, which signals to the brain that it’s time to fall asleep. This lowering of body temperature kickstarts melatonin production, which is the hormone that helps your child to fall asleep.

Cortisol is a hormone, which is raised during times of stress and makes us feel alert and awake. It naturally reduces at night so that we can sleep. If your child is anxious at bedtime, their cortisol levels will be raised, and they will find it difficult to sleep. Please see our “Anxiety and fear” advice sheet for more information and try the relaxation techniques below.

Effects of noise during sleep

To get the sleep that your child needs, it’s important to protect their sleep environment against unwanted sounds for the duration of their night’s rest.

Noise at night can prevent your child from falling asleep initially, and sounds during the night can wake them, leaving them unable to return to sleep.

While your child sleeps, the sleeping brain continues to register and process sounds. Noises can create restlessness in sleep even if they don’t wake your child fully, and these interruptions affect sleep quality.

Sleep Terrors (also called Night Terrors) and Nightmares are often thought to be the same thing when in fact, they are quite different. Nightmares are more common than Sleep Terrors but neither will cause any long-term psychological harm to your child.

How much light your child is exposed to before bedtime and in their bedroom itself can have a significant impact on how well they sleep as light disrupts their circadian rhythm and tells their body it is time to stay awake and alert. However, your child’s sleep isn’t just affected by light levels in their bedroom, but also by light levels during the day.