It’s 7 p.m. on a weeknight in your family home, which means bedtime for your tiny tot. As usual, you get them washed and ready for bed, read them a story, make sure they’ve had a few sips of water, give them a final cuddle, and turn on the nightlight.

Quietly backing out of the door, you head downstairs to finish making your own supper. Yet after half an hour, you hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet down the stairs and see a little head poking around the side of the door.

“Mummy? I can’t sleep."

For the third night this week, your little one has climbed out of bed and come downstairs. You know it’s becoming a problem, but as much as you try to encourage them to stay in bed, nothing seems to be working!

Listen, you’re not the only parent in the world who’s had to deal with this. It happens to most of us—to the best of us! And it’s perfectly normal! However, like all other areas of a child’s life, they need boundaries and rules surrounding sleep in order to be able to stick to a healthy, set routine.

So, let’s explore why it’s important to set rules surrounding your child’s bedtime and, more importantly, how you can go about it!

Why does my toddler need rules for bedtime?

Your child will thrive within a sleep structure. Much like eating and performing other activities in a routine fashion, it will make them feel secure and set them up for healthy habits as they grow.

How can I set up rules for my child’s bedtime?

Toddlers are rarely fond of rules, so the key is to make a game of things. As Mary Poppins believed, you find the fun in a task and'snap'—the job’s a game. And when the job is getting them to go to bed, we’ve got some creative ideas to help inspire you.

‘The Magic Sleep Fairy’s Bedtime Rules’

On a poster-sized piece of paper, or perhaps a piece of card, write the heading ‘The Magic Sleep Fairy’s Bedtime Rules'—or you can even personalise it with your child’s name. Underneath the heading, across the top half of the paper or card, jot down the rules you want to implement. The following is the sort of thing your child should follow:

Example 1:

After you have had your milk and two stories, it’s time for sleep.

Your favourite toy and a glass of water are all you need for bedtime.

You don’t have to get up during the night for the toilet, as you are wearing a nappy.

After bedtime, your lights will be turned off, the nightlight will be turned on, and the bedroom door will be closed.

Everyone in the house sleeps in their own bed and should stay in their own bed throughout the whole night.

You need to stay in your own bed until we come and get you in the morning.

Once you have written out the rules, have your child decorate the poster. You could give them some special stickers to use or cut out some pictures of family members that can be stuck on them. You could even colour the oster. If your child feels confident enough, let them take the lead with their creativity on this one!

The more engaged they feel in the creation of this poster, the more of a sense of responsibility they will feel towards it. They are more likely to stick to the rules written on it, as they feel like they have been involved in the process.

Finally, once you have finished decorating the poster, put it up on your child’s bedroom wall, somewhere that they can clearly see. Try to finish the poster in the afternoon so that you can start incorporating the rules into their bedtime routine that evening.

What rules can I set up for my child’s bedtime?

On Unii’s Toddler Sleep Journey, we look at bedtime rules for your little one.