Sleep & Routines

Young children don't have a strong sense of time in the way adults do. “Ten minutes from now” doesn't mean much. “After breakfast, we get dressed. Then we leave for school” does.

This is why predictable routines can be so reassuring. Familiar sequences reduce the number of surprises they have to process:

Morning: wake → toilet → dress → breakfast → leave

Night: dinner → wash → pyjamas → story → bed

What matters is the rhythm. When bedtime becomes a battle, don't add ten new rules at once. Instead, choose a simple sequence and repeat it calmly (Dim the environment, Reduce stimulating activity before bed, Keep screens away from the immediate bedtime routine).

Give your child some independence—choosing between two pyjamas or putting the book away. Start the routine before everyone is exhausted.