Same order, same time
Pick four or five steps and run them identically every night - bath, book, song, lights out. The routine itself becomes the sleep cue, which is why changing it nightly keeps children negotiating instead of settling.
Wind down before lights out
Slow, quiet, connection-based activities in the last half hour beat screens and wrestling. The NHS recommends a calm, consistent pre-sleep routine in the room where the child sleeps.
Safe sleep, every sleep
The NHS safe-sleep guidance: always place babies on their backs in a clear, flat cot, and share the room - not the bed - for the first six months. Same rules for naps and nights, every caregiver, every time.
Go deeper
On this shelf
- Milo and the Moonlight Checklist (story)
- The 15-Minute Rescue: wind-down activities
- The Twinkens shelf: all titles
Sources
