A consistent bedtime routine is more than just a series of steps before lights out—it’s a crucial part of a child’s sleep quality and overall development.
“Consistent quality sleep is vital to a child’s development as it is during this time that many critical neurological processes take place,” Dr. Angela Holliday-Bell, a sleep specialist, shares.
BlackDoctor.org spoke with Dr. Holliday-Bell to discuss how a nightly bedtime routine can help your child sleep better.
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1. Helps Your Child Transition to Calm
Bedtime routines help children transition from the excitement of the day to a state of relaxation, making it easier for them to fall asleep.
“A bedtime routine is very important for children’s sleep quality. The bedtime routine acts as a transition point to help them wind down from the play and excitement of the day to the calm and relaxation of the night. This often leads to an easier time falling asleep and to them getting overall better quality sleep,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says.
2. Promotes Better Sleep Quality
A consistent bedtime routine leads to better overall sleep quality, as children are more likely to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep throughout the night.
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3. Promotes Neurological Development
Quality sleep is crucial for children’s neurological development, including memory consolidation, emotional processing, and forming new neural connections.
“Sleep also helps with development of problem solving skills and emotional regulation and it is during sleep that memories formed during the day are consolidated or stored while also priming the brain to absorb new information the next day. Growth hormone is released in it’s highest quantities during sleep as well, contributing to the child’s overall growth and development,” Dr. Holliday-Bell notes.
4. Allows Bonding Time Between the Child and Parent
A study conducted in the Journal of Pediatrics shows that listening to a caregiver’s voice, even in recorded form, can improve children’s sleep quality by reducing stress and promoting feelings of security. Although the study did not delineate the exact reason, Dr. Holliday-Bell notes that other research suggests that a mother’s voice can increase oxytocin (or the feel-good hormone) levels and decrease cortisol (or the stress hormone) levels when a child hears it.
“I think features like the Tuck Ins by You will be a big game changer for parents and children alike. The ability to customize the bedtime routine and implement something so specific and special to a child like hearing a caregiver’s voice without them even having to be present, will open up a world of opportunities for children to feel connected to their caregivers and other family members no matter what the situation,” Dr. Holliday-Bell adds. “The benefits transcend just a good bedtime routine as hearing that familiar voice can calm stress and anxiety and lead to not only better sleep but better and more secure functioning during the day.”
Family creator, Shaunda, has benefited from features like these firsthand. “The new Tuck-Ins feature has brought an extra layer of joy to our evenings that our kids look forward word to, ensuring that even when one mom is absent, her presence is felt in our nighttime rituals,” she shares.
5. Supports Cultural Connection
Bedtime stories and cultural practices can stimulate a child’s imagination and create a sense of security and belonging, contributing to improved sleep.
“Things like eating meals together that have cultural significance and engaging in learning about their culture through bedtime stories can help to fuel their sense of connectedness and well-being and lead to better sleep,” Dr. Bell-Holliday says.
If you are looking to incorporate elements of heritage into your child’s bedtime routine, Dr. Holliday-Bell suggests adding parts of your heritage, background and family experiences to bedtime stories.
She also suggests allowing your children to ask questions, which will allow you to explain in further detail how it relates to them.
6. Emotional Regulation
Bedtime routines, especially those involving personalized voice notes or lullabies, can help children regulate their emotions, leading to a more peaceful bedtime experience.
“Personalized voice notes and lullabies strengthen bonds and increase secure attachments, which can relieve stress and make it easier to fall and stay asleep. A child hearing a familiar voice such as that of their caregiver is inherently calming and provides a sense of security and safety. This can also help with emotional regulation that is conducive to sleep and helps to create a positive sleep association such that the child associates the voice and the lullabies with sleep allowing sleep to happen more efficiently for them,” Dr. Bell-Holliday adds.
7. Promotes Consistency
Establishing a consistent bedtime routine helps regulate children’s internal clocks, making it easier for them to fall asleep and wake up at the same time each day.
8. Helps the Family Bond
Bedtime routines provide an opportunity for quality time and bonding between parents and children, strengthening their relationship and creating positive associations with bedtime.
9. Promotes Storytelling
“Storytelling helps to facilitate a child’s imagination and engagement and can help refocus thoughts that might otherwise keep them up. Creating a cultural connection gives them a sense of security and belonging that promotes a sense of peace that can contribute to improved sleep quality,” Dr. Holliday-Bell adds.
Although keeping a consistent bedtime routine can be beneficial for your child, you may find it challenging to fit it into your busy schedule. Your child(ren) may also fight bedtime because they don’t want to stop playing or they fear that they will miss out.
If this prevents you from starting a consistent routine, Dr. Holliday-Bell suggests keeping the routine simple and starting with small changes and building on them over time.
“It doesn’t have to be anything complicated or extravagant and use tools and resources like Hatch that allows you to build routines into it to make it easier to implement and stick to. Also, if your child is old enough, have a conversation with them about the importance of the routine and even allow them to have some say in some of the activities you all do so that they feel involved and buy into it more,” she advises.
