--- title: "Toddler bedtime: a 15-minute wind-down, then the routine" published: "2026-10-15" updated: "2026-10-15" author: "Dad Field Manual editors (drafted with AI help)" time: "40 min" cost: "$0" ages: "1 to 3" where: "Quiet play on their bedroom floor with the lights low, then the bathroom for teeth and back to bed." topics: ["toddlers"] print: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/print?p=bedtime-wind-down" url: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/plans/bedtime-wind-down/" --- # Toddler bedtime: a 15-minute wind-down, then the routine > Bedtime goes better when your toddler knows exactly what comes next. This is fifteen minutes of quiet play they choose, then the same five steps in the same order every night, ending with the same words at the door. ## What you need - A kitchen timer or a phone timer with a soft bell (have) - A small basket of quiet toys: board books, soft animals, large blocks (have) - Toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste (have) - One or two picture books (have) ## Before you start - **Lower the crib mattress** once they can stand, so climbing out is harder. Keep the crib away from windows and an arm's reach from dressers. - **Bath means you stay.** Never leave a toddler in or near the tub, even for a second. Bring the towel and pajamas in first. - **A rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste** under 3, a pea-sized amount from 3. You do the brushing. - **Screens off** before the wind-down starts, not during it. ## Steps 1. **Screens off, lights low, bell set** (Dad) About forty minutes before bedtime, turn off the TV and phones and dim the lights. Say, "Quiet play time. When the bell rings, it's bath." Set the timer for 15 minutes where they can see it. 2. **They pick the quiet play** (Kid) Put out the quiet-toy basket and let them choose: books, blocks, a stuffed animal tea party. Nothing that runs, jumps or lights up. Sit on the floor with them; this is easy time together, not a chore. 3. **Bell rings, routine starts** (Together) When the bell rings, say the same line every night: "Bell says bath." Toys go back in the basket together. Bath or, on non-bath nights, wash face and hands and put on pajamas. 4. **Teeth, then nothing but water** (Dad) Brush their teeth for them, twice a day, with the right smear of fluoride toothpaste. Let them "help" with a second brush if they want. After brushing, only water. 5. **One book, one song** (Together) Into bed or the crib. Read one book, or two if that's your number, and keep the number the same every night. Then the same short song, sung the same way. 6. **Same goodnight line, then go** (Dad) Pick an exit line and never change it: "Goodnight, I love you, see you in the morning." Lights off and walk out. The line is the signal that bedtime is done. ## If it stalls - If they fight the bell, give them the job of turning off the timer. The bell is the boss, not you. - If they ask for "one more book," answer with the line: "One book is our number. Tomorrow you can pick first." - If they call out after you leave, go back calm and brief, say the same goodnight line, and walk out again. - If you're losing your cool, it's fine to step out for a minute. A flat, boring bedtime beats a perfect one. ## Variations - **Around 1:** Shorter wind-down, about 10 minutes, mostly in your lap with a board book. Keep extra soft things out of the crib. - **Ages 2–3:** Let them make two choices in the routine: which pajamas and which book. Everything else stays the same. - **Two homes or two adults:** Write the five steps and the goodnight line on a card so whoever does bedtime does it the same way. ## Sources - **How much sleep toddlers need.** CDC lists 11 to 14 hours of sleep per 24 hours, including naps, for ages 1 to 2, and 10 to 13 hours for ages 3 to 5, citing the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. It also advises keeping the same bedtime and turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed. (checked 2026-10-15) - **Brush, Book, Bed.** The AAP's Brush, Book, Bed routine is brushing teeth, reading a book or two and going to bed at a regular time each night; it says a predictable routine helps a child learn what comes next. Adults should help young children brush, with a rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste under 3 and a pea-sized amount from 3 to 6. (checked 2026-10-15) - **Crib setup as they grow.** The AAP says to lower the crib mattress as a baby learns to sit and stand so climbing out is harder, to place the crib well away from windows, and to keep it at least an arm's reach from dressers or tabletops. (checked 2026-10-15) - **Never alone in the bath.** The AAP says never to leave a child alone in or near a bathtub or any other water, and notes a child can drown in less than 2 inches of water. (checked 2026-10-15)