General educational guidance. Not clinician-reviewed or a substitute for individual medical advice.
Notice what leads into bedtime: activity, comfort and the order of familiar steps. Use the age sections as general guidance, not a promise that a routine will prevent waking.
Look at the whole evening
Notice what leads into bedtime: activity, comfort and the order of familiar steps. Use the age sections as general guidance, not a promise that a routine will prevent waking.
A safe place for every sleep
Keep sleep simple, clear, and close.
Place your baby on their back in a separate cot with a firm, flat mattress. Keep pillows, toys, loose bedding, and bumpers out.
Your everyday rhythm
Follow sleepy cues and keep overnight interactions quiet. Frequent waking is common.
Make it safe
Share a room for the first 6 months. Avoid falling asleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair.
Explore this stage →Familiar cues, safer sleep
A calm wind-down while keeping the cot clear.
Continue to put your baby down on their back on a firm, flat mattress in their own clear sleep space.
Your everyday rhythm
Try a feed, a quiet book, and a short song. Night waking can still happen.
Make it safe
Do not add pillows, soft toys, or positioners to help your baby sleep.
Explore this stage →A little rhythm to rest
Familiar steps make bedtime more predictable.
Choose a calm, repeatable wind-down: clean teeth, a story, and a song. Adapt timing to your child’s sleep cues.
Your everyday rhythm
Keep daytime and bedtime routines reasonably consistent.
Make it safe
Keep cords and climbing hazards away from the sleeping area. Follow the cot’s height and climbing limits.
Explore this stage →A softer end to the day
Predictable bedtime steps for busy little minds.
Use a short sequence your child knows: clean teeth, pyjamas, a story, and a goodnight phrase.
Your everyday rhythm
Offer a small choice, such as which book to read, while keeping the routine consistent.
When to ask for help
Discuss persistent sleep problems, loud snoring, or breathing pauses with your child’s clinician.
Explore this stage →Rest for tomorrow’s adventures
A steady wind-down with room for reassurance.
Keep bedtime steps familiar and allow a short space to talk about the day.
Your everyday rhythm
Choose quiet activities before bed and keep screens out of the wind-down routine.
When to ask for help
Seek advice for persistent sleep difficulties, loud snoring, or breathing pauses.
Explore this stage →Rest is part of growing
Routines that balance school, interests, and downtime.
Agree on a regular wind-down and wake time that allows enough rest. Adjust routines as your child grows.
Your everyday rhythm
Keep devices away from bedtime and make space for quiet reading or conversation.
When to ask for help
Discuss ongoing daytime tiredness, persistent insomnia, loud snoring, or breathing pauses with a clinician.
Explore this stage →Sources and further reading
A question parents ask
Will a bedtime routine stop night waking?
There is no guarantee. Sleep changes with development and circumstances. Seek individual advice if you are worried about breathing, feeding, wellbeing or a persistent sleep concern.