This article is brought to you by our friends at Little Sleepies. As a fellow women-founded brand that understands the importance of enjoying the little moments, community is at the heart of their craftsmanship and brand mission.
The Bedtime Lesson I Wish I’d Learned Sooner as a New Mom
When I think back to those early motherhood days, bedtime felt less like a peaceful ritual and more like a nightly exam I had to ace. The stakes felt ridiculously high, which made connecting with my kid much harder. Was the room dark enough? Was the white noise at just the right volume? Had I read exactly two books (no more, no less, obviously) because that’s what the “expert” article said? Uh oh, were his favorite pajamas still in the laundry?
Each evening, I’d walk into my son’s room armed with a mental checklist. Instead of feeling calm and cozy, as one should before bed, I was basically holding my breath. And when it didn’t go smoothly (which, let’s be honest, was most nights), I replayed the whole routine in my head, trying to figure out where I went wrong. Surely, I thought, other moms had cracked the code. Why couldn’t I? But here’s what I wish I’d known about bedtime back then: It was never really about nailing the steps of the routine. Bedtime wasn’t a test to pass. It was a chance to connect.
Those early days when bedtime felt like a battle
If you’ve ever been a new mom staring down bedtime with a baby or toddler, you know the weight of wanting to get it just right. I followed every bit of advice I could find—parenting books, blogs, Instagram accounts promising to solve “all your bedtime struggles.” I thought if I just lined things up perfectly, the result would be a peaceful, easy drift into sleep. But instead, bedtime often looked like a battle. There were the nights I was convinced I’d finally found the magic formula, only to end up rocking a wide-awake baby for hours. Or I’d be met with a firm, gleeful “No!” during the toddler years.
Looking back, I realize how much pressure I put on myself. All that striving for perfection only made bedtime more stressful for me, and probably for my son, too. But I also look back and give my new-mom self grace. When you’re exhausted, stretched thin, and constantly second-guessing, sometimes just going through the motions is the best you can do. And that’s enough. I know now that even in those chaotic nights, love was there, even if I was too focused on the stress.
The moment I realized it wasn’t about the routine at all
Unshockingly, what shifted things for me wasn’t a magic tip from a sleep expert or a mommy blogger. It was simply watching my son grow. One night, I went to zip him into his favorite Little Sleepies pajamas and realized he had already zipped them up by himself, his face full of pride. That small moment stopped me in my tracks. The baby I’d been so worried about “doing bedtime right” with wasn’t a baby anymore. He was growing, changing, slipping into new stages before I was ready.
That’s when it hit me that bedtime was never about getting every detail perfect. It was about the connection we made in those little moments. The giggles during storytime. The extra snuggles when he begged for “just one more book.” Even the chaos—the damp footprints after bath time, the way he’d dash away in protest when I pulled out the toothbrush—these were all part of the story we were writing together.
I realized that if I kept chasing perfection, I’d miss it. I’d miss the very things that made those nights special. Once I let go of the checklist and stopped comparing myself to what other parents were doing, bedtime softened. It became less about performance and more about presence. And that changed everything.
“I realized that if I kept chasing perfection, I’d miss it. I’d miss the very things that made those nights special.“
Fast forward eight years: Our bedtime rituals today
These days, bedtime looks different, but it’s still one of my favorite times of day. With after-school activities and homework, the evenings often feel rushed. To slow down, we make dinner together a non-negotiable. Around the table, we play “high, low, buffalo” or a card game (UNO is a household favorite, of course). It’s a small way to connect and hear about his day before the bedtime race begins.
Now that my son is 8 years old, he’s gained more independence. He knows the drill: put on PJs (Little Sleepies still remains the favorite), brush teeth, use the bathroom, and then let us know when he’s ready. My husband and I no longer have to guide him through every single step, though bedtime still ends with one tradition we’ve carried through the years: reading together. He spends a few minutes with his own book, then one of us reads aloud—sometimes a chapter, sometimes just a story.
Source: Roberta Correia
Of course, some things never change. Bedtime remains the prime time for procrastination. The moment his head hits the pillow, he suddenly remembers all the stories he wants to tell. These days, the conversations are less about superheroes and more about school friendships, feelings, or mistakes he’s working through. And while I know it’s partly a stalling tactic, I’ll take every late-night chat I can get. I’m acutely aware that the teen years are right around the corner.
Although our routine has shortened, this new stage has brought opportunities for bonding beyond bedtime. Friday night is movie night with pizza and an ’80s or ’90s throwback film my husband and I loved as kids. Saturday mornings, if we don’t have activities, we linger in our favorite pajamas, watch cartoons, and make pancakes together. These rituals may not be elaborate, but they give our family moments to look forward to every week—and that’s what keeps us close.
A reminder for every mom tucking in little ones tonight
If I could go back and whisper one thing to my new-mom self, it would be this: Bedtime will never be perfect. There will always be pushback, chaos, and nights that leave you frustrated. But once you let go of the idea of how things “should be,” it’ll be much easier to enjoy those fleeting moments. Kids won’t remember whether the bedtime routine followed the “right” order or whether you checked every box. They’ll remember your silly voices during storytime, the comfort of your hand on their back, and the warmth of your presence as they drift off. And that’s what makes all the difference.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roberta Correia, Editor in Chief
As the Editor in Chief of The Everymom and mom to her eight year old son, Lucas, Roberta lives and breathes motherhood and strives to create the most honest, insightful, and relatable content for every kind of parent out there. You can find her spending time with her family doing all of the fun activities life in NYC has to offer!
As the Branded Content Editorial Assistant, McKenna collaborates with our sales team by creating both written and social media content, collecting and analyzing performance data to report back to our partners, and assisting our editors with their everyday tasks to ensure a smooth and productive process.
This article is brought to you by our friends at Little Sleepies. As a fellow women-founded brand that understands the importance of enjoying the little moments, community is at the heart of their craftsmanship and brand mission.
