Bed time routine at 18 months

Here is Evie’s bedtime routine at 18 months. It has been similar to this from around 7 months. We will be moving Evie into a toddler bed soon, if it ever gets delivered. So I wanted to document what we do now before too much changes.

6.00pm is bathtime

Evie has loved baths since day one! She has a warm, shallow bubbly bath. We always use ‘Child’s Farm’ bath products. We use their bubble bath and hair and body wash. They are so kind to her skin and smell delicious! She has lots of bath toys but mainly loves splashing and filling and emptying her hair washing jug.

6.30pm

We go downstairs where Evie gets a clean nappy and dressed into her pyjamas. We dim the lights (not so much during the summer months!) and she settles down with me to have a beaker of warm milk and watch 10 minutes of ‘In the night garden’ . Which is probably more like 20 minutes on a bad day!

6.45pm

We go up to her bedroom to snuggle up on the cushions and she chooses 3 books for us to share together. There is usually some chasing and catching involved after the third story and I tell her it’s bedtime. Why go to sleep when you can stay up and play in your room!?

7.00pm

Once she is caught, I get Evie into her sleeping bag (she started having a toddler duvet at around 17 months to help prepare her for her big girl bed) . She has bedtime bear with her. I turn off all the lights. She doesn’t have a nightlight at the moment but I can imagine this will change when she is older and in a proper bed and is able to get in and out by herself.  I kiss her goodnight and that’s it! Evie has self settled from 7 months when I did two evenings of controlled crying. I’m lucky that she took to it well and she has self settled from that day.

Then it’s time for my evening routine and pray that I don’t hear a peep from her until 6.30 in the morning!

Amy x