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Leah Salomaa's toddler used to nod off whenever it suited the family. Since both Ms. Salomaa and her partner are musicians, they don't follow a 9-to-5 lifestyle. If the Toronto couple had dinner guests or watched a movie in the evening, Olivia went down as late as 9:30. She would sleep in the next day and would either go late to daycare or have a slow-starting day with mom.

Then, last fall, kindergarten started. "We found out that she got into the morning class and that she had to be at school at 8:44," Ms. Salomaa says. "We had a crash course in routine."

Starting last August, Ms. Salomaa kicked into gear the schedule she used when she worked as a nanny years ago. As of 7 p.m., dinner had to be done, lights put down low and the television switched off. Ms. Salomaa took Olivia through a relaxing routine of bath, reading, quiet talking and cuddling. The lights were out and the girl asleep by 8. Olivia resisted at first, but now the four-year-old sometimes marches upstairs herself just after dinner.

And her mother -- who once thought the laid-back life was ideal -- wished she had done it sooner. "Now, I look back on her life when she was 2 or 3 and I realize that a lot of our issues with her were because of sleep deprivation."

With children's bedtimes creeping ever later -- the issue made the front page of The Globe and Mail this week -- and doctors and educators sounding warnings of the ill effects of sleep deprivation on youngsters, many parents would like to follow Ms. Salomaa's lead and get their little ones down earlier. But how to get the babes nestled in bed at an early hour?

Cathryn Tobin, a pediatrician from Markham, Ont., and author of The Lull-A-Baby Sleep Plan (which will be published in August by Wiley), endorses Ms. Salomaa's use of routine. "Rituals are comforting and reassuring," Dr. Tobin says. Especially for little ones, the process of having a bath and putting on pyjamas will cue them to expect sleep.

Older children might like some quiet time to talk about their day or read alone. But the key to a good routine is this: It has to be quiet and relaxing (no video games, television or loud music) and it has to be the same every single night, even on weekends. Dr. Tobin also suggests using a "one call-back rule." Which means after a child is in bed, he can get up just once for a hug or a glass of water.

But routines take time, so you've got to start extra early. For instance, if you want your child down at 8, start talking toothbrushes and PJs as much as an hour before. "It depends on how difficult it is to get the child to go to sleep.

Factor that into your bedtime routine," says Henry Ukpeh, a pediatrician in Trail, B.C., who is also a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia.

Some children will click into an earlier bedtime immediately, but most need a gradual change. Expect resistance at first and tweak the schedule by 15 minutes at a time.

The ideal bedtime differs for each child. Ms. Salomaa always aims for roughly 12 hours of sleep for her four-year-old. Dr. Tobin says most children are quite cheerful and relaxed right after dinner, and that's an ideal time to start a bedtime routine.

When children lose co-ordination, have a shorter attention span or start yawning and rubbing their eyes, that signals that they're tired and should be moved toward the bedroom pronto. "When little kids get tired, they get wired," Dr. Tobin says. She thinks most bedtime meltdowns happen because children are overtired.

Also, make sure naptime isn't interfering with bedtime. "If the child normally naps at 2 or 3, make sure that happens," Dr. Ukpeh says. Delaying the nap routine with errands or a movie will make it harder for a tot to fall asleep at night.

For older children, heavily scheduled evenings delay bedtime. Consider cutting back on activities, or switching to ones that happen right after school so there's enough time to wind down.

But often, the real reason for a night-owl child is the parents. When one or both work late, the evening can turn into family time. "You may have to wait until the weekend," Dr. Tobin warns. "Making sleep a priority is a health benefit to a child that is as important as vitamins."

Meanwhile, some overworked parents don't have the energy to wrestle a child into bed, so they wait until he's dozing off on the couch.

But experts agree that an early bedtime is worth striving for -- no matter how hard it is to give up quality time or to get the remote out of a child's hand. Sleep is critical for brain development, learning and building up the immune system. Sleepy children are not as attentive at school and sleep-related irritability can get them into conflict with friends and teachers.

Parents who feel bad about depriving their children of fun or one-on-one time should remind themselves of this: "It's a necessity, it's not a luxury," Dr. Tobin says. "There's nothing to feel guilty about."

Diane Peters is a freelance writer in Toronto.

Sweet dreams?

Nobody ever said getting your kid to go to bed would be easy. Have you found the perfect solution? Have you tried everything only to have junior bouncing off the walls at midnight? Tell us how you're getting the tots

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