Skip to content

How I eased my toddler into the perfect bedtime and wake-up routine

January 29, 2026
Resources
Product Features , Sleep Help , Tweetydreams
How I eased my toddler into the perfect bedtime and wake-up routine

If there’s one thing I’ve learned after two kids, it’s that toddlers love predictability (even if they pretend they don’t). 🤣 

Today I want to share how we started using sleep cues and wake-up cues with my youngest, Theo, and how these tiny habits have transformed our day-to-day.

We actually began introducing sleep cues when Theo was around one year old. At that age, I knew he wasn’t going to fully understand the concept yet, and that’s okay! The goal wasn’t instant results.

I just wanted him to get familiar with the idea that certain signals meant bedtime, and different signals meant morning. This sets their foundation for a healthy relationship with structure.

This isn’t a rigid method or a “perfect routine” though! It’s simply what worked for us. We hope it can inspire you on how to introduce bedtime and wake-up cues gently and age-appropriately to your own toddler. 🫶 

Our Bedtime Cue: “This Means It’s Time to Sleep”

Cues only work when they’re woven into a routine, so for us, bedtime looks like this:

Bath → Book → Touch the lamp → “Time to sleep” → Cuddle + kiss → Leave the room

The cue itself is simple:

At first, Theo didn’t react much to it; he was one. 😅But by repeating it every night, he slowly began to associate that red glow + white noise with winding down and sleeping.

Over time, that combination became his “day is done” signal.

Our morning cue: “It’s now time to wake up”

For wake-up time, we use a completely different signal. Before I even step into his room, I change our Tweedydreams into a green light and soft bird sounds from my phone.

Now that he’s two, his mornings are quite amazing:

The birds start chirping → The room glows green → He sits up immediately and says, “Mummy, it's green! It's green! It's time to wake up!" 🥹 

If he wakes earlier, he just plays quietly with his soft toys until he sees his wake-up cue… which means I can actually enjoy a calm cup of coffee, prep school bags, and wash my face before the morning rush begins.

I cannot tell you how life-changing that small shift has been!

The real secret: consistency

Sleep cues only work if you repeat them the same way, every day.

The routine doesn’t need to be long or complicated! Ours takes seconds.

But because the cue always appears at the same time in the sequence, Theo learned to recognise it naturally. 

And the best part is that it works no matter who’s putting him to bed: me, my husband, grandparents, anyone. The sequence can also be programmed to go off at the same time every day and night, so there’s even less to think about (Tweetydreams takes care of everything 🤩).

How the cues evolved as he grew

As Theo got older, his response to the cues became more consistent and honestly more impressive. He started reacting to them before I even reached the door!

As your own toddlers grow, you can adjust the cues, too:

  • Change the light colour

  • Switch to gentler sounds

  • Shorten the routine

  • Let them take part in choosing their cues

Giving toddlers some control makes the routine fun and empowering. Something as simple as “Which colour do you want tonight?” goes a long way.

Letting them choose their own cues

With older toddlers, it becomes a shared project.

Letting them pick their nighttime colour or morning sound gives them a sense of ownership, and makes transitions smoother because they helped create the routine.

Theo already gets excited about picking his colours, just like his big brother Luca. 🥹

Future plans: scheduling automatic wake-up times

Right now, I manually turn on Theo’s morning cue before entering his room. But as he gets older, we’ll eventually set it to turn on automatically, the same way we already do for his big brother Luca.

For Luca, we have a wake-up program that:

  • Turns on at 6:30 AM on weekdays

  • Automatically shifts to 7:00 AM on weekends

It keeps mornings predictable, but still lets us be a little generous on Saturdays.

A bonus feature I love

One thing I appreciate as a mum is that I can schedule multiple programs on my Tweetydreams, not just wake-up times!

For example, Luca loves falling asleep with rainbow colours and loud rain sounds. Lovely… but not ideal for the rest of the night.

So every night at 10 PM, his Tweetydreams automatically:

  • Switches to a dim blue light

  • Lowers the volume

  • Keeps the sound gentle until morning

All without me needing to remember a thing. 😌

How Tweetydreams makes cues so simple

If you’re looking to introduce routines, sleep cues, wake-up cues, or all of the above, the Tweetydreams Nightlight & Sound Machine makes it incredibly easy. You can:

  • Control everything directly from your phone

  • Set custom colours and sounds

  • Create routines that grow with your child

  • Schedule different programs for weekdays and weekends

  • Keep nights calm and predictable

It’s one of those tools that feels small… but genuinely shifts the tone of your day.

Now that Theo knows his cues, our days just flow better. No magic tricks, just simple signals used the same way every day with our Tweetydreams.

Try it, keep it light, and give it time! One morning you’ll hear those little birds chirping and find your toddler already sitting up, waiting with a smile… and you’ll know you’ve created something that works.

— Karen

view all posts