Promote a consistent bedtime routine as a feasible, cost-effective method to support early childhood development, particularly for at-risk children¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 1 study (1 review), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article recommends promoting a bedtime routine as a public health and clinical strategy: "promoting a bedtime routine may be a feasible and cost-effective method to promote positive early childhood development worldwide, particularly for socioeconomically disadvantaged and other at-risk young children." The routine is positioned as embodying nurturing care and early child stimulation at a time of day most parents are present. The recommendation is grounded in the reviewed sleep, literacy, regulation, and family functioning evidence, with the caveat that additional research on hypothesized outcomes and mechanisms is needed.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Caregiver implementation of a consistent routine on most nights
• Use of adaptive activities across the nutrition, hygiene, communication, and physical contact domains

Constraints¶

• Additional research on hypothesized routine-related child outcomes and mechanisms of action is needed
• Socio-demographic disparities exist in routine adoption and consistency

Target Learners¶

• young children ages 0-5 years
• socioeconomically disadvantaged and at-risk young children
• families and caregivers

Target Learning Goals¶

• healthy sleep
• early childhood development and wellbeing
• literacy and school readiness

Affordances¶

• Bedtime Routine Conceptual Model Early Childhood

Claims¶

• A consistent bedtime routine is associated with better sleep outcomes in young children, with a dose-dependent relationship between nights per week of routine adherence and sleep benefits [+W]
• Bedtime routine interventions improved maternal mood, maternal confidence, and, in one study, marital satisfaction, beyond child sleep outcomes [+W]
• A language-based bedtime routine at age 3 predicted longer nighttime sleep duration at age 5 and higher language abilities and receptive vocabulary at age 5 [+W]
• Randomized assignment to a 3-step bedtime routine improved infant and toddler sleep outcomes relative to control [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Clinicians query for consistency in sleep routines and schedules and discuss sleep health with families before formal schooling entry as preventative support for school readiness
• Prioritize dose-response sleep research with multiple time points and narrower age groups before refining early-years sleep recommendations

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Mindell Jodi A., Williamson Ariel A. (2018). Benefits of a bedtime routine in young children: Sleep, development, and beyond. Sleep medicine reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2017.10.007