The bedtime routine kids actually want to follow

A good bedtime routine is short, calm, and the same every night: tidy up, bath, pajamas, brush teeth, potty, a sip of water, a quick chat about the day, a story, and lights out. Consistency matters more than the exact steps — the predictable order is what signals to a child that sleep is coming.

Around 20–40 minutes for most children aged 2–10. Toddlers do best with a shorter routine (about 20 minutes), while older kids can comfortably handle 30–40 with a longer story. The planner shows a running estimate and works backwards from your lights-out time so you know when to start.

Most 3–5 year olds need 10–13 hours of sleep and 6–10 year olds need 9–12, so count back from wake-up time. For a 7am wake-up that usually means lights out between 7pm and 8:30pm depending on age. Set your target in the planner and it back-calculates when to begin.

Make it visual and make it theirs. Kids follow a routine far more willingly when they can see the steps, choose the order, and mark each one done. The planner turns the routine into a starlit path with a star for every completed step — small, immediate rewards that keep a toddler moving without nagging.

Yes — completely free, no account needed. Your routine, stars, and streak are saved on your device. The stories at the end of the routine are free to read too.

Yes, it is designed mobile-first. Tonight mode is a full-screen, dark night-sky view with large tap targets, made to be handed to a child on a phone or tablet at bedtime.