4 year old bedtime routine

[Friedseasalt]

Just what the title says really. What’s your 4 year olds bedtime routines? What time do they go down? And are they up later on weekends?

We did bath, book and bed. Never let them come downstairs after the bath at that age. If they came downstairs they struggled to get to sleep.

They were in bed by 7 but with stories sir a bit afterwards.

I didn’t tend to let them stay up later unless it was a very special event as no matter what time they went to sleep they just woke up at the same time and I ended up with grumpy DC all weekend.

Ours is bath, book and teeth then up to bed at about 7. One of us lies with him and chats about the day and usually he will drift off quickly.

Sometimes it takes a bit longer.

Sometimes he just won't go to sleep so we set him up with his tonies box and he listens to stories - interjected with coming down for a wee/drink etc. He gently gets sent back up each time and we find him fast asleep eventually with a teddy and his tonies.

We don't do a later bedtime at weekends as there isn't any need - he needs his sleep and we need a break!

Forgot about teeth. We definitely did those too!

The other reason we didn’t do a later bedtime at weekends, especially on a Saturday, was because we gave them something easy to prepare for tea then had something to eat ourselves when they were in bed. The rest of the week we are with them.

4 year old gets washed and ready for bed, often a book in the living room and then tucked into bed and door shut. They go to sleep on their own.

We go upstairs at 7.30-7.45 (including weekends), get changed, last wee, night nappy on, cup of milk and one story in bed then teeth and straight into bed. Usually around 8. She's very easy thankfully (DS at the same age was much harder!). We generally do baths in the mornings as she's not in nursery full time but might have to add a bath when she starts school.

Up at 18:30ish. Teeth, wee, bath. Out of bath about 19:00. Pjs on. Cuddles. Chooses a book. Book read in their bed with low lighting. Lights off nightlight on. They choose if door is left open or closed. They're usually fast asleep by 19:40 sometimes takss them a little longer. Usually wake up abouy 6:30/7.

We've had a similar routine since DD was about 2 weeks old. Although has obviously varied as they get older and their needs change. But core of it is ths same.

At 4 we had to lie with DD until she fell asleep. So up at 6.15ish, bath, teeth, book, tonie story and white noise and then shed fall asleep in 20/30 minutes and we'd leave (she has a small double so we'd be in bed with her).

Now she's 5 and it's the same, although we'd go up closer to 6.30 now but we leave when we turn the white noise on and she goes to sleep by herself. Usually by 7.30 she's fast off.

I keep thinking we're going to have to.kove bedtime later but she seems to need the sleep she's getting. Up for the day at 6.30 ish. Sometimes we have to wake her up at 7.15.

We don't do later bedtimes at the weekend unless needed. Like when gladiators was on she could stay up to watch that, but generally she's starting to nod off on the couch!