Making Bedtime Fun Again: How Role Play Can Help Your Toddler Sleep Better
Turning Bedtime Battles into Bedtime Bliss
If bedtime has started to feel like a nightly battle, you’re not alone. For many parents of toddlers, evenings can bring resistance, big emotions, and endless negotiations. But what if bedtime could become something your child looks forward to?
One of my favourite ways to help toddlers transition calmly into bedtime is through role play — especially when paired with a visual bedtime chart. This simple combination builds connection, predictability, and calm.
The Power of Visual Routines
Toddlers thrive on structure and a sense of control. A visual bedtime chart gives them both. Together, you can create a step-by-step guide that shows what happens each night — bath time, brushing teeth, pyjamas, reading a story, and hopping into bed.
When toddlers can see what’s coming next, it removes the guesswork (and a lot of the power struggles that often follow). Instead of being told what to do, they feel included and capable, which helps bedtime flow more smoothly.
A calm and connected bedtime routine can make evenings feel easier for everyone.
Bringing It to Life Through Role Play
Once the bedtime chart is made, it’s time to make it fun. Role play lets your child practise the bedtime routine in a light-hearted, hands-on way. This could look like acting out bedtime with a favourite doll or teddy — choosing pyjamas, reading a story, giving a cuddle, and tucking them in.
By doing this, toddlers step into the “grown-up” role, learning what to expect through play rather than instruction. They begin to associate bedtime with comfort and connection, not resistance or stress.
Encouraging imaginative play helps little ones build confidence and emotional understanding.
Meet the Mini CoZee: The Perfect Bedtime Buddy
That’s where the Mini CoZee Bassinet by il Tutto comes in. This beautifully made, toy-sized version of the CoZee Breezeco-sleeper lets little ones tuck in their own “baby” for the night — just like mum or dad.
- Read a bedtime story to their teddy or doll
- Help them get ready for “bed” with their Mini CoZee
- Whisper goodnight before lights out
It’s a sweet, nurturing way for toddlers to practise calm, connected bedtime habits — turning what used to be a challenge into something meaningful and fun.
Turning Battles into Bedtime Bliss
By blending structure (with a visual bedtime chart) and imagination (through role play with the Mini CoZee Bassinet), bedtime can shift from stressful to serene.
Because at the end of the day, children learn best through play — and when bedtime feels safe, predictable, and even a little magical, everyone sleeps a little better.