Back to School Bedtime Routine Ideas

I don’t like to admit it, but Back to School shopping in stores seems to be in full swing. It drives me a little batty, as I work in a school and that means that eventually I will have to return back to school and leave my boys again until our next holiday.

When school starts in September, that means one of two things for school aged kids: they are returning to school or they are just starting it for the first time. School can be very scary if you have no idea what to expect.

Let’s look at it for a second…
You head into a building full of people you don’t know, new things all over the place and many unfamiliar smells and noises. To a four year old, that can be a nerve-racking and overwhelming experience.

I have always found with my oldest the most important thing I could do to help him with his anxiety about change and new places was to help him get a good night’s sleep. I have had a routine from the time he was roughly a couple of months old until now. We have changed it here and there as he gets older, but the basics have always stayed the same.
Back to School Bedtime Routines

Back to School Bedtime Routine Ideas Include:


1) Bath Time: This is the signal to Daniel that it is bedtime. He gets about 20 minutes of water time. I usually use a calming body wash with lavender in it to help him get in relaxation mode.

2) Quiet Time: 30 minutes before bed we have quiet time. This includes colouring, drawing, chatting about his day, and sometimes a special movie to help get him in the mode of calm. I am not really picky on what he does during this time, as long as it is quiet and gentle.

3) Story Time: I always read him a story in bed. Story time is a nice time that we share between us, and of course, it helps to build a positive relationship in the literacy area.

4) Snuggles: A couple of minutes of snuggles and then it is a kiss good night and lights out.

Before I leave the room, I always put white noise on in his room. It is something I find that he needs to help him get a good nights’s sleep in order to have a successful day the following day. I am super happy to learn that the folks at cloud b have such a great variety of products for various areas of needs for me to pick from.
Starfish cloud b

“Tranquil Starfish follows in the footsteps of the award-winning Tranquil Turtle. It plays custom soothing sounds and features a unique textured shell which creates a magical underwater light effect.”

I was sent the Tranquil Starfish to test out. The Tranquil Starfish is for kids aged 0+ and, with its sturdy plastic design you wont have to worry about it being knocked off the night stand and getting broken.

I love the textured design on the Starfish as it projects a very calming, underwater affect that helps my son relax while drifting off to sleep. You are able to adjust the brightness with a switch on the side so you can have the light as bright or as dark as you would like.

The next great feature is the choice of two melodies: either surf or serenity with six adjustable volume levels. I personally enjoy the surf option the most as it sounds like I am on a beach listening to the waves crash against the shore.  There have been many times where I find myself tempted to relax with him as we snuggle!

Basically, I pick the melody, set the brightness of the light and leave. There are no worries about going back in and turning it off as it has a built in timer and the light shuts off after 23 minutes. I love little gadgets that make it easier I just set it and forget it till the next night.

Overall I have really enjoyed this product. It has truly helped us at sleep time to make a sometimes stressful time into a more relaxing and soothing experience not only for my son but for me also. I will let you know that I have even used it myself a couple nights and truly felt a sense of calm come over me as I stared at the ripples projected on my ceiling and listened to the waves.

This would be on the top of my Back To School list if I hadn’t already received it. Help take away the stress and anxiety and give those kids what they need most a good nights sleep with Cloud B’s Tranquil Starfish.
Tiffany Bio


Over the past few years, I have written a few other articles about Kindergarten parents that you may wish to read as this is a topic that I am very passionate about, having spent a number of years as a Kindergarten teacher and having two children of my own complete Kindergarten.
Kindergarten Parent Support Group
Getting Ready for Full Day Kindergarten
Preparing for Kindergarten – Part 1
Preparing for Kindergarten – Part 2
A Kindergarten Visit – Who Needs More Preparation, Mom or Child?
For all NEW Kindergarten Moms and Dads, This is For YOU!
Back to School – Mommy, I Don’t Want to Go

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22 Responses to Back to School Bedtime Routine Ideas

  1. kathy downey says:

    Getting back into the school routine is so hard the first month

  2. DARLENE W says:

    I am glad I am past that stage, now it is up to my daughter and son to get the grandkids on a bedtime routine

  3. Darlene Schuller says:

    My daughter is so excited every year… we start mid August with .. pretty much the same routine before bed. Bath’s are essential but sometimes it’s difficult to get that squeezed in when they want ‘play’ time..and when school is happening there are only so many hours between dinner and bed!

  4. DARLENE W says:

    What an amazing product, will probably make sweet dreams as well

  5. Karen Evans says:

    WOW! cloud b sounds great for my 5 year old grand daughter who returns to school, in late August (Quebec) and becomes a first grader!! Thank you for your review 🙂

  6. suzquiz says:

    Great product getting the kids back into a routine can be really hard

  7. Heidi C. says:

    We have just started to get back into school sleep routine. I know there are still a few weeks left but it is probably going to take that much time to get back into our routine.

  8. Laurie P says:

    I ordered a tranquil starfish for my little girl, she’s not old enough for school yet, but I’m hoping it will help transition her into her own room. Great bedtime routine tips, all of which I did with my son years ago, and they ALL worked well for us.

    • Laurie – the tranquil starfish, in my opinion will help any child regardless of their age. Transitioning to a new bedroom can be difficult, if you need some assistance with more ideas to help your daughter with this transition, please feel free to reach out to me. I love to talk with other parents 🙂

  9. kristen visser says:

    sounds like what we do at our house except for we have story time, then bath time, then quiet time and then bed 🙂 i have heard so much about the cloud B products but have yet to purchase one. its on the list for baby #2 🙂

  10. Jennifer Corrado says:

    My daughter is going into 6th grade on Thursday and we’ve been trying to get back in to a earlier bedtime but it’s hard but I know by Monday she will be back on it..

  11. Judy Cowan says:

    Hard to believe it is almost back to school time. Getting back in the routine is a good plan before it starts.

  12. DARLENE W says:

    Bed time routine is so important, my daughter stars with washup and pjs at 7.30 then bed at 8pm. The kids are so use to this routine they fall asleep quickly

  13. DARLENE W says:

    Part of the routine is following it. If you say bedtime is at 8 then that is when they go to bed

  14. ivan mckinnon says:

    I agree with others that the bedtime routine must become “second nature” to parents and children. With few exceptions, bedtime, along with its expectations must be followed to a “T”. The light you described above turns off after 23 minutes and that is cool, especially if your child is asleep by then. Interesting article.

  15. DARLENE W says:

    With the 1st week of school finished here in Hamilton, Ontario, I am confident that most children are in some sort of bedtime routine by now. If not it can lead to a lot of cranky children in the morning

  16. Darlene W says:

    Most children have their bed time routine down pat by now and parents can have a sigh of relief

  17. kathy downey says:

    It took 6 weeks this year to get the kids back on track,the older they get seems the harder it is.

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