Sleep Routine
A bedtime routine tailored to your child's age, current sleep struggle, and what hasn't worked.
When to Use This
Use Sleep Routine when bedtime is the war. Tell Beacon the age, the specific struggle (resists going to bed, wakes at 3 am, won't stay in bed) and what you've already tried that didn't work. Beacon writes a 6-8 step routine with timings, sensory considerations and what to do at the wake-ups.
If You Are an Educator or Therapist
Signed in as an educator or therapist, this writes a plan the FAMILY runs at home, because you are not there at bedtime. It stays inside your scope: it names the referral rather than making a medical recommendation, and it ends with what the family should track and the threshold that would send this to a sleep study, an OT consult or the pediatrician.
How It Works
Pick Age + Struggle
Age band chip + specific sleep struggle chip. Struggles include: resists bedtime, multiple wake-ups, early waking, won't sleep alone, can't fall asleep.
Tell Beacon What Didn't Work
Free-text. 'We tried melatonin and a sound machine.' Beacon avoids repeating those in the new routine and addresses why they might not have worked.
Get a 6-8 Step Routine
Time-stamped sequence (e.g., 6:30 pm dinner → 7 pm bath → 7:20 pm calming activity → 7:45 pm bed). Each step has a 1-line why-it-works. Sensory considerations woven in if you have a Sensory profile.
Save + Adjust Over Time
Archived. Re-generate after 2 weeks with updated context. Sleep routines are a moving target; the archive lets you see what shifted.
A Real Example
6yo Avery wakes around 3 am every night. Maya tried melatonin and white noise.
| Time | Step | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30 pm | Dinner (low sugar) | Stable blood sugar overnight |
| 7 pm | Warm bath 10 min | Body temp drop after bath = sleep cue |
| 7:15 pm | Low light + chamomile or warm milk | Reinforces wind-down |
| 7:30 pm | 2 books + 1 chosen song | Predictable order, low cognitive load |
| 7:50 pm | Heavy blanket + dim light | Proprioceptive input for vestibular seekers |
| 8 pm | Lights out, parent stays for 5 min | Co-regulation, then quiet exit |
| Middle of the Night | At the 3 am wake: no talking, no light, walk back to bed | Avoid reinforcing the wake-up with stimulation |
What Beacon Auto-Knows
- Every routine you've generated + the struggle and inputs.
- What you said you tried (so it doesn't repeat).
- Cross-reference with Behavior logs: did wake-ups decrease after the routine started?
What Discuss With Beacon Adds
- Discuss attaches the latest routine. 'Adapt for the weekend when bedtime drifts later.'
- Or refine: 'The 3 am wake-ups are now 5 am. Adjust.'
Try These With Beacon
“Adapt this for the weekend when bedtime is 8:30 pm instead of 8 pm.”
Shifts every step back 30 min while preserving the relative spacing (e.g., bath stays 60 min before lights out).
“Avery refuses the heavy blanket. Replace.”
Drops the heavy blanket step; substitutes a tight tuck-in or weighted stuffed animal. Notes the function (proprioceptive input) so the replacement isn't random.
“Write this routine as a visual schedule Avery can follow.”
Reformats as a 6-icon visual schedule with 1-3 word labels per step. Suggests using the Spectrum Unlocked Visual Schedule Creator with those exact step labels.
“It's been 2 weeks. Wake-ups dropped from nightly to 2-3 per week. Now what?”
Generates a phased fade: keep the routine identical but reduce parent-stays-5-min to 2 min, then 0 min over the next 2 weeks. Don't change the core structure while the wake-ups are still trending down.