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Oh the joys of putting a toddler to bed!
Is it even possible to have a non toxic bedtime routine with a toddler?
As hard as it is, sticking to a nighttime routine is extremely important!
For the best positive bedtime routines, make sure you have plenty of signals. Signals tell your baby that it is, or soon will be time for bed.
For example, a bedtime signal can be a book. Specifically bedtime stories for kids.
But wait! What books are the best for putting a toddler to sleep?
Here are our top 10 favorite bedtime stories for kids and toddlers!
1. Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss
Why not start out with a classic Seuss book?
This book is about a case of the yawns!
Just like you’d catch a cough from someone, a yawn just as easily spreads!
It adds up all the people that have been affected with the yawn and shows how quickly sleeping can spread!
Ninety-nine zillion, nine trillion and two creatures are sleeping!
This will be sure to have your child catching the case of the yawns while also laughing their last giggles out for the day!
2. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
The lovely Llama Llama books!
This book will resonate with every
child and parent!
Mama Llama tucks her baby into bed with their nighttime routine, but after Mama leaves, it becomes Llama Drama!
Baby Llama starts to get worried and scared and wants his Mama to come back immediately.
After Mama does not come right away, baby llama starts to holler and cry!
But Mama shows up just in time, having a comfort saying that all babies and parents will appreciate!
This book will leave your child feeling comforted by the love of their parents and the reassuring message from this story, which will help them fall asleep
so much easier!
3. How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen
What child doesn’t love dinosaurs? They learn their dinosaurs before their ABCs!
These parents are ready for bed, but their dinosaurs are not!
One by one, it tells how each different dinosaur might avoid going to sleep and how they eventually get to sleep.
All of these dinosaurs are depicted just as they are children fighting sleep.
They eventually turn off their light, kiss their mommies and daddies, and tuck their tails in for goodnight.
This story will resonate with just about every parent with how hard it is to put a toddler to bed. Which will in return, have your little one laughing all their last giggles out
and tucking their tails in!
4. Don’t Wake The Dragon by Bianca Schulz
Shhh..The dragon is sleeping!
An Interactive story for parents and kiddos!
This story is so much fun for the parents reading it, and the babes listening to it!
This book is all about a dragon that was so difficult to get to sleep! Bang! The wind blew the door shut, Oh No!
Did it wake the dragon?
Each turn of the page, something crazily loud happens and you have to make sure the dragon is sleeping soundly!
This book is so great to interact with your sweet babe and watch their face smile.
As the book ends, a lullaby is sung which will have our book dragon and our kiddos happy to drift off to sleep!
5. Just Go To Bed by Mercer Mayer
A book that reenacts a bedtime routine
with a toddler! One word: Difficult.
These wonderful little critter books are filled with so much relatable stories and so
much love.
In this story, little critter does not want to go to bed without a fight!
Whether it’s time to stop playing, put on his jammies, or take a bath, little critter is
not happy!
Parents and babes will be laughing at this relatable story and tiring out before bedtime!
This is also great way to help your little one learn many parts of their bedtime routine!
6. I Love You, Good Night By Jon Buller and Susan Schade
This is a bedtime story all about love!
“I love you like pig love pies!” “I love you like
the moon at night, big and warm and
round and bright!”
This book is about a parent guiding their child while getting ready for bedtime, along with all the ways to say I love you!
Some ways are super funny, but all the ways describe the unconditional love you have
for your child.
This is a great example of ways that parents can say I love you, and great for babies that have trouble saying good night.
7. Froggy Goes To Bed by Jonathan London
From the classic Froggy series books!
It’s time for bedtime, but Froggy is
not tired at all!
Whether it’s stalling taking a bath, finding his toothbrush in the cookie jar, or demanding
a bedtime story!
Froggy is determined to draw out bedtime!
This story is a super cute bedtime stories for kids, and a great learning technique for a comfortable bedtime routine!
8. Good Night, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
This is included in our 10 Favorite Infant Nighttime Books as well, but it is too cute not to include!
This book is great for children’s all ages because of the great illustrations, the fun animals, and the sweet blue truck!
This story starts out with nighttime approaching, but who can sleep
with a scary storm?
One by one, all the farm animals seek the safety and comfort of the little blue truck.
After a while, the storm subsides and Little Blue takes each one of his friends home so they can drift off to sleep!
This book features great
onomatopoeias as well!
Surely to drift off your child going “beep! beep! Shhh..”
9. How To Put Your Parents To Bed by Mylisa Larsen
For the fans of the How To Babysit books, this is a great bedtime read!
This book with great watercolor illustrations is all about how to put those parents to bed that you know are exhausted but
just won’t stop!
This story follows a child as you help and learn how to put your parents to bed.
These parents are tired but they just won’t lay down! Help them put done those phones, stop doing the dishes, and turn off the TV!
This book will surely have parents and children laughing and you’ll have everyone snoring in no time! Even you, parents!
10. I Am Not Sleepy And I Will Not Go To Bed by Lauren Child
Do you remember Charlie and Lola? Well they are here to bring you one of the fabulous bedtime stories for kids!
Charlie occasionally has a big job to do, and that is putting her little sister to bed. And she is not an easy one to get to sleep!
You see, Lola does not even get tired till 13 o’clock in the morning!
Charlie tries anything to get his little sister to bed, even doing all the crazy hoops that Lola wants him to jump through!
Lola cannot take a bath because there are whales in the bath, so Charlie has to shoo them down the drain!
Lola cannot have her regular pink milk for bedtime because the tigers will get jealous. So Charlie had to bring 4 pink milk glasses!
After a lot of crazy fun and laughter, Lola says “Goodnight Charlie” and falls asleep on her pillow, and your little babe will too!
Having a bedtime routine with many signals, such as bedtime stories for kids makes for a positive bedtime experience!