AI How To For Parents: Creating Calmer Bedtime Routines

How your prompting will improve in this how-to

Most parents begin by asking AI questions like:
“Help me fix bedtime,” or
“How do I make my child go to sleep earlier?”

These questions are understandable, but they rarely lead to helpful, tailored guidance.

This lesson helps you move from those broad prompts to clear, confident requests using a simple structure called RICO.

Before this lesson (Novice stage)

Parents often:

• ask broad or unfocused questions about bedtime struggles
• receive generic suggestions that don’t fit their child’s temperament
• feel unsure what details are safe to include
• accept the first answer even when it isn’t realistic
• feel pressured to create a “perfect” routine
• overlook ways to guide the AI toward the tone they want

After this lesson (Skilled beginner using RICO)

Parents will be able to:

• guide AI by setting a supportive Role for bedtime planning
• give clear, essential, safe Context that shapes workable routines
• write a direct Instruction that matches their needs
• request the specific Output they want—steps, scripts, or ideas
• refine any prompt until the tone, pacing, and expectations feel right for their child

This is the shift from hoping AI understands your bedtime challenges to directing it clearly and safely.

What is RICO? (A simple structure for better prompting)

Why this matters

Bedtime can be one of the most emotionally charged parts of the day for families.
AI can help you think through calmer routines, create gentle scripts, or offer ideas when you’re too tired to brainstorm.

You don’t need technical skills—just a simple structure that keeps the AI focused and safe.
You bring judgement, empathy, and knowledge of your child.

AI brings drafts, structure, and fresh possibilities when your mental load is high.

RICO helps those strengths work together without replacing your instincts.

Try this: Start with a real parenting task

Choose one real bedtime task, such as:

• reducing evening battles
• introducing predictable steps before sleep
• creating calming language for transitions
• adjusting bedtime after a change in schedule