My 2-Year-Old Daughter’s Toddler Bedtime Routine

If you have a 2-year-old toddler like me, then having a bedtime routine is crucial at night.

When they are newborns, they sleep so much and the only thing you had to really worry about was them waking to feed throughout the night to eat and then they would likely go back to sleep.

And then your baby turns in a toddler who has made the connection that bedtime means that all the fun they were having is coming to an end.

I mean I get it.

No one wants the fun to end.

But, as adults, we know the importance of getting rest.

When my daughter turned 18 months old, I began to notice that she started to resist bedtime.

She would even throw those dreaded toddler bedtime tantrums.

I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to my sweet baby who would go to sleep with no problems?

We started utilizing a bedtime routine for her when she turned 3 months and have been consistent with it.

But different phases of childhood calls for different routines.

What worked before she turned 1 did not work when she turned 2.

With that being said, we knew we had to make some adjustments, and the bedtime routine she has now has been working for us.

If you are interested in what our bedtime routine looks like for my 2-year-old daughter, then just keep reading.

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Why Is My Toddler Is Struggling To Go To Sleep?

Before we get into the bedtime routine for my 2-year-old, let’s quickly chat about why your toddler is struggling to go to sleep.

A complaint that I have heard too often from other moms is “My toddler takes forever to fall asleep.”

Why does it feel like my toddler is staying up on purpose?

Some parents even go on to label their toddler’s resistance as bad behavior.

But toddler bedtime resistance is a very normal and common thing that happens to most small children.

They do have their own mind after all.

Some of the reasons your toddler may resist bedtime are:

• Overexcitement
• Teething & Tummy Discomfort
• Hunger
• Separation Anxiety
• Needing to use the bathroom (if potty training)

All of these things need to be addressed with understanding and comfort.

This is especially true if your toddler is sleeping in a separate room.

You cannot punish or discipline your toddler for needing you to be their parent.

Daytime Success For Nighttime Success

If your toddler is struggling to fall asleep, then it might be time to take a look at what is happening during the day.

If you don’t already have one, try to create a routine that your toddler generally follows during the day.

I have my 2-year-old’s daily schedule that you can find here if you are interested in what we do on a typical day.

On most days, we are doing something that burns some of that energy off that is engaging and allows her to rest better at night because she was active during the day.

If it is possible, get them outside at some point each where they can get some fresh air and run and play their little hearts out.

If your toddler still naps during the day, as mine does, try to not let them sleep too late into the evening.

Bedtime for my daughter is 8:30 pm, so we usually try to not let her nap past 5 pm with the latest being 5:30 pm.

She normally takes a much earlier nap but if her nap does fall later into the day, then we will likely have to wake up her if it starts getting too late into the evening.

All of these good daily habits that are being practiced by my daughter during the day can contribute to bedtime success.

Now that we know why our toddlers may be struggling to get to sleep and what we can do during the day, let’s get into my 2-year-old daughter’s bedtime routine.

Pre-Bedtime Routine

According to Happiest Baby, they suggest stepping up a pre-bedtime routine that begins to signal your toddler that bedtime is approaching.

It is harder for younger children to go from playing straight to bedtime so having a pre-bedtime routine that signals that bedtime is approaching is really helpful for them.

Some of us may have a pre-bedtime routine and not even realize it.

Your pre-bedtime routine could look like dimming the lights within your home, engaging in some quiet play, and even playing white noise in the background.

If I had to share what our pre-bedtime routine looks like it, it would start for us right after dinner.

We normally take a walk if the weather permits or watch TV together as a family on the couch where we are all sitting and being quiet.

We also normally end the evening with a dessert.

My daughter has been loving ice cream lately, so my daughter and my husband will normally split one small cup of vanilla ice cream.

After everyone has had their desert and satisfied their sweet tooth, it is time to head upstairs and officially start our bedtime routine.

My 2-Year-Old Daughter’s Toddler Bedtime Routine

My 2-year-old’s toddler bedtime routine starts with getting my daughter in the bathtub.

My daughter is at that really helpful stage in toddlerhood, so I usually get her involved in the bathtime process.

I let her help me turn the water on and off and add some bubbles to her bath.

Once she is in the bathtub, she will play with her toys for a little while my husband or I bathe her.

After taking her bath, she gets lotioned up which is also something that she likes to help with, and then we put on her pajamas.

Considering that we live in Texas, we literally never dress her up in fleece pajamas and that is even the case in the winter.

We want her to be comfortable when she is sleeping so a cotton top and pants will do most nights.

Another tip I have heard of parents doing is actually giving their kid a baby oil massage after giving their little one baths.

I don’t personally do this, but other moms do experience success with this.

This article from The Tot suggests using essential oils such as chamomile to massage your toddler and diffuse in the room as well.

They will begin to associate the smell with bedtime.

Once she is dressed, we head back into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

In order to avoid a meltdown that usually happens during this process, I normally let her “brush” her teeth first, then I will follow up behind her to really clean her teeth.

After her teeth are brushed, I have her sit on the potty to make sure she doesn’t have to use it before bed.

We are in the early phases of potty training my daughter so this is how we are getting her more used to sitting on the potty.

With all the hygienic stuff out of the way, we will then head into her room.

Some nights, she will go to her bookshelf and pick out a book for us to read together. Her current favorite bedtime books are:

• The Going To Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
• Good Night Sophie by DK
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Other nights, she runs straight to her sound machine and turns on her lullabies and the projector.

We have had this sound machine by Munchkin since she was a newborn and she still uses it every night.

She knows that when it is on, it is time to go to bed.

Lastly, we will give her all the snuggles and kisses she wants before we tuck her in.

She normally wants us to give her a high five, a fist bump, a big hug, and a kiss on both cheeks before we walk out of her room.

After we have gone through our night routine, we won’t usually hear a peep from her until the morning.

So that is my daughter’s toddler bedtime routine.

Her routine goes as follows:

• Dinner
• Walk Or Family TV Time
• Desert/ Evening Snack
• Bath
• Lotion & Pajamas
• Brush Teeth & Potty
• Read A Book
• Bedtime

This entire routine including the pre-bedtime routine takes place between 6 pm and 8:30 pm every evening.

Obviously, when you are dealing with an unpredictable toddler, they have their moments when they want to put up a fight.

It happens here every now and then, but having a solid bedtime routine does help deter some of those tantrums.

Your Turn

Now that you know what my 2-year-old daughter’s toddler bedtime routine looks like, I want to hear from you now. What does your toddler’s bedtime routine look like? Does it look similar to ours? Let me know what you do in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!

• Read More: Break Free From Your Self-Limiting Beliefs

Love,

Just Jass