Bedtime (also called putting to bed or tucking in) is a ritual part of

parenting Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively for ...

to help children feel more secure and become accustomed to a more rigid schedule of sleep than they might prefer. The ritual of bedtime is aimed at facilitating the transition from wakefulness to sleep. It may involve bedtime stories,

children's song A children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that children invent and share among themselves or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home or education. Although children's songs have been recorded and studied ...

nursery rhymes A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. From t ...

bed-making Bed-making is the act of arranging the bedsheets and other bedding on a bed, to prepare it for use. It is a household chore, but is also performed in establishments including hospitals, hotels, and military or educational residences. Bed-making ...

and getting children to change into

nightwear Nightwear – also called sleepwear, or nightclothes – is clothing designed to be worn while sleeping. The style of nightwear worn may vary with the seasons, with warmer styles being worn in colder conditions and vice versa. Some styles ...

. In some religious households, prayers are said shortly before going to bed. Sleep training may be part of the bedtime ritual for babies and toddlers. In adult use, the term means simply "time for bed", similar to

curfew A curfew is a government order specifying a time during which certain regulations apply. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to ''not'' be in public places or on roads within a certain time frame, typically in the evening and ...

, as in "It's past my bedtime". Some people are accustomed to drinking a nightcap or

herbal tea Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Oftentimes herb tea, or the plain term ...

at bedtime. Sleeping coaches are also used to help individuals reach their bedtime goals. Researchers studying sleep are finding patterns revealing that cell phone use at night disturbs going to sleep at one's bedtime and achieving a good night's sleep.

Synonyms

boarding schools A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

and on trips or holidays that involve young people, the equivalent of bedtime is ''lights out'' or ''lights-out'' - this term is also used in prisons, hospitals, in the military, and in sleep research.

Newspapers

In the pre-digital newspaper era, a newspaper, usually daily, was "put to bed" when editorial work on the issue had formally ceased, the content was fixed, and printing could begin.

References

Parenting Sleep {{Parenting-stub

Synonyms

Newspapers

See also

References