
Written by Aparna Hari
Establishing a bedtime routine for babies is one of the most searched and discussed issues among new parents. Setting an accurate sleeping routine for your little one can come with a pool of challenges.
Often the surrounding people give advice that can be conflicting and confusing for new parents. A lot of understanding and patience goes into making a baby sleep through the night straight away. Although it’s a bit of a challenging task for you, it’s also an opportunity to form a bond between you and your little one.
In This Article
Experts say it’s ideal to appoint a particular and fixed bedtime routine for your infant as soon as possible. From 6 – 8 weeks, your infant can solely get aid from the habit of the correct bedtime routine. For most babies, you can start establishing a sleep routine when they are around 3 months old.
Don’t impose a bedtime routine forcefully as soon as you welcome your baby to the house from the hospital. Though babies require an abundance of quality sleep, the newborn needs time to recover from the effort of being born as well. And so does the mother!
Therefore, a mother can approach the infant with a shorter bedtime routine after two months of the baby being born. And that has to be a cuddly and comforting session.
The bedtime routine is vital for various reasons.
It usually takes roughly 6 weeks for your baby to get acquainted with the sleep routine. This period may vary from baby to baby. Some may be able to fall into the routine earlier while others take time.
Factors such as illnesses, teething, sleep regression, and growth spurts can all play havoc with the sleep training process. Patience and consistency are the key here.
Here are a few tips and suggestions you can follow to ensure that you are able to get your baby into a proper bedtime routine.
Record the time and sleeping patterns of your baby precisely. Also, track the longest sleep time during the night. A baby can sleep 5-6 hours constant or not, at night. So, monitoring the sleep pattern will help you set a fixed routine for everyday bedtime. Once you evaluate the whole timetable, try to practice 30/40 minutes of pre-sleep ritual for the lengthiest sleep stretch.
Make sure all bright lights are off or in dim condition. Also, close all curtains. Make a shade and calming environment, turn all volumes off and set a piece of relaxing music to soothe your baby.
[Read : Why Should Babies Listen To Lullaby Songs?]
Initially, a baby might fall asleep by just a bedtime lullaby, story, soft music, or the mother’s cuddle. However, as the baby grows, their requirements change. As a result, babies become inconsistent while sleeping. The mother needs to adjust to these changing necessities. So, you can adopt unique bedtime strategies to build a new routine like a baby massage, creating a more relaxing atmosphere, bath time story, etc.
Babies seek comfort, consistency, coziness, and warmth more than anything. You can choose a cradle or a crib or your bed to make your baby sleep. But make sure you don’t change the place frequently. It’ll disrupt their sleeping pattern. Maintain this ritual for at least a couple of months until your baby sleeps more soundly.
By following this guidance, you can skillfully train your baby with a soothing sleep routine. Once the little bundle of joy realizes something pleasant, cozy and consistent, they will experience better sleep patterns. All these will make sleep time much easier for you and your little one.
[Read : Baby Safety- Crib and Baby Bed Safety Tips]
Yes, absolutely! Ensure you feed the baby right before the baby goes for a longer sleep stretch. Often, babies fall asleep at the moment of feeding, making the bedtime task easier.
Yes! You can skillfully include relaxing bathing activities, bedtime story sessions, soothing infant massage, lullabies, and soft music in your bedtime routine.
Cuddling your baby while making them sleep is a superb approach to putting your baby to bed quickly. The baby will feel more relaxed and pleasant in the mother’s warmth while cuddling and have a better sleep.
Read Also: Reading to Your Baby – When to Start And Benefits
Her experience in impactful writing combined with her background in Home Sciences makes Aparna the perfect candidate for content writing in the pregnancy and parenting niche.Read more.
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