How Books Can Support Your Bedtime Routine

Bedtime can be a struggle for many families. It may just be the difficulty of unwinding after a busy day or the challenge of having your little ones settle into bedtime.

A consistent bedtime routine that includes books is something we stress to all of the families we support. Not only do books and reading help establish a calming routine for your little ones, they can be a great tool in helping reinforce the importance of sleep. A set routine at bedtime helps signal to little ones that sleep is coming and aids in the production of melatonin which helps their brains and bodies prepare for sleep.

Most children are visual learners and they love repetition. Books can be the key to helping them understand transitions, follow a bedtime routine, and see how important sleep is for us. Reading bedtime stories together can also provide that special quiet time for re-connection and unwinding after a busy day.

Besides being an integral part of the bedtime routine, books can also be useful in many other ways. Stories can be used to help calm little ones who may be nervous sleeping on their own. They can be used to discuss the crib to bed transition when the time comes and even to illustrate how we stay in our own bed to sleep. Often little ones are scared of the new changes and the unknown. Through books they are able to see the characters go through the bedtime routine, sleep in their own beds and say goodnight to friends and family. All of this helps reinforce the routine and the sleep rules you may have for your family.

Books can also be used to provide comfort and calming techniques for little ones who may have some anxiety around separation and sleeping alone. The book “I will be okay” provides some calming mantras that little ones can say to themselves when feeling anxious or alone. The book “Sleepy Little Yoga, provides calming yoga techniques that can help relax and calm their bodies before bed. Another book titled “The Girl who got out of bed” provides a counting strategy to help distract a little one to aid in falling asleep.

Books can help you discuss emotions and feelings with your little ones. They allow them to see how familiar characters make their way through the bedtime routine and deal with their feelings as well.

There are so many wonderful books to support bedtime, here is a list of some of my favourites that range in age from babies/toddlers up to preschoolers and school age. Some discuss the sleep routine and transition and others look more at some calming strategies that can be helpful to read and practice as part of the bedtime routine. Your local library is a great spot to find many of these titles and more, ask your librarian for some other suggestions.

Books to help with Bedtime

1. Goodnight Mood, - Margaret Wise Brown

2. The Going to Bed Book, -Sandra Boynton

3. Maisie Goes to Bed, - Lucy Cousins

4. Llama Llama Nighty-Night, - Anna Dewdney

5. Sleepy Little Yoga, -Rebecca Whitford

6. Nighty Night, - Leslie Patricelli

7. Kiss Good Night - Anita Jeram

8. Lady Bug Girl Says Goodnight, - Jacky Davis

9. A Recipe for Bedtime, - Peter Bently

10. Even Super Heroes Have to Sleep - Sara Crow

11. Go Sleep in Your Own Bed - Candace Fleming

12. A bed of Your Own - Mij Kelly

13. I will be Okay - by Laurie Wright

14. Charlotte and the Quiet Place - by Deborah Sosin

15. The Girl Who Got Out of Bed - Betsy Childs and Dan Olson

16. Big Kid Bed - Leslie Patricelli

17. I Sleep in a Big Bed - Marie Van Lieshout

18. Your Own Big Bed - Rita Bergstein

19. Breathe Like A Bear - Kira Willey

20. ABC Mindful Me - Christiane Engel

For more sleep resources and support, check out my site below or send an email jolan@goodnightsleepsite.com to schedule your free discovery call. Be sure to ask how your sleep support may be covered by extended benefits.