A guide to help you

understand how to organize a

Bed time
routine
for your child to meet their
sensory needs and help
them self regulate/calm
their body

By: Courtney English

OTR/L & Mom
@courtneyenglish.ot
 Just a note!
PLEASE NOTE:

PLEASE KNOW THAT EVERY CHILD IS UNIQUE AND HAS

THEIR OWN SENSORY PROFILE. THIS MEANS THAT NOT
EVERY CHILD WILL BENEFIT FROM EVERY
RECOMMENDATION FROM ME. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO
LEARN EVEN MORE ABOUT HELPING REGULATE YOUR
CHILD, SEE MY CALMING KIDS GUIDE HERE!

DISCLAIMER:
THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. THIS PRODUCT
PROVIDES SENSORY AND REGULATION
EDUCATION FOR YOU TO APPLY TO ACTIVITIES
FOR PROMOTING A CALM AND FOCUSED CHILD
THROUGHOUT THE DAY!

ANY AND ALL OF MY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANY

TYPE OF SENSORY OR REGULATION ACTIVITY CAN
BE FOUND LINKED IN MY AMAZON STOREFRONT!

CLICK HERE FOR DIRECT ACCESS!

@courtneyenglish.ot
 Why you might be
struggling with bed time
Bed time can be a struggle for parents
because some children need more sensory
input for the nervous system to feel calm,
organized, and ready for sleep. There are
3 reasons why children may need more
sensory input to feel regulated:

They overall have a higher threshold (they need more

sensory stimulation than others) for them to feel relaxed.
We all have unique sensory profiles and sensory needs to
feel calm and relaxed (yes, even us adults too!).

They haven’t had enough movement and regulating input

throughout the day to support their growing mind and body.

They have been overstimulated by too many different or

new sensory experiences, there were too many demands
placed on them throughout the day (high cognitive load),
or too many transitions in their schedule/routines leaving
them feeling overstimulated and dysregulated.

@courtneyenglish.ot
 Sensory Bed time
Routine flow chart

This is the order that I

recommend you follow for
the best bed time routine!

Connection

Movement

Organizing & Calming

Transition to Bed
Continue reading for my
suggestions at each of these steps!

@courtneyenglish.ot
 Bed time activity ideas
You don’t have to do all of these! This is just an outline if you
want to follow a schedule. My suggestion is to pick 1 from
each category and do it for a couple of minutes so the
routine is no longer than 15 minutes! If you feel like you need
more guidance, book a call with me!

Connection
Alerting activities can increase engagement and give your child a feeling of safe connection
before bed! This is crucial to our little ones.
Activities to try: Blanket parachute, wrestling, spinning games (ring around the rosie sp?),
upside down play (the tick tock clock), log rolling together, pillow fights, playing chase, and
actions songs (wheels on the bus, freeze dance, baby shark, shake your sillies out)

Movement
Linear vestibular activities that are rhythmic and predictable help a child’s body to feel
organized in space.
Activities to try: Blanket swing, balance beam, blanket pulls across floor (child sits or lays on
belly on blanket while you pull them across floor and back), rocking chair, rocking side to side
on floor together, toddler toss onto crash pad/bed

Organizing & Calming

Proprioceptive activities provide us with a sense of body awareness and is one of the main
regulators in the body. It helps calm an overwhelmed or overactive nervous system.
Activities to try: Climb, jump, crash (use couch and couch pillows if you don’t have a crash
pad), play tug of war with blanket, bubble mountain, blowing bubbles, body sock, carrying or
tossing weighted stuffed animals, pillow chops, kid sandwich (squeeze them between
pillows), crawling over pillows or in a tunnel, any heavy work activity (pushing, pulling,
carrying, squeezing).

Transition to Bed
How do we transition to bed after these activities? Use visual calming bottles, massage, books,
calm singing, snuggles. Lights out before snuggles and affirmations help us the best! I always say
“Mommy loves you so much, I’ll see you in the morning.” So she knows she is loved and will see
me after she sleeps!

@courtneyenglish.ot
 Thank you for
downloading my freebie!

Thank you so much for

downloading my freebie on
bedtime routines to help with Click here for
my Stan.Store
click here for my
amazon storefront
getting your child calm, relaxed,
and ready for bed! Make sure to
check out my other great
resources below!

-Courtney English Click here for

my TikTok
Click here for
my instagram

Click here to check

out my sensory
development for click here to see
babies mini guide! my Calming
kids guide!

Click here to sign up

for my upcoming
Click here to
bedtime webinar!
book a 1:1 call
with me!

Make sure to check out my stan.store to see all of the

promo codes, deals, and links I have for you!

@courtneyenglish.ot