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Did you know that studยญies indiยญcate that as many as 90 perยญcent of all parยญents would change someยญthing about their babyโ€™s nightยญtime rouยญtine if they could? Feel betยญter now? Obviยญousยญly, many parยญents are going through the same chalยญlengยญing issues youโ€™re facยญing with your baby at bedยญtime, so donโ€™t feel so alone and stress too much! Still, itโ€™s tough when you feel like your baby is nevยญer going to sleep through the night โ€“ we know. Thatโ€™s espeยญcialยญly true for first-time parยญents, many of whom become conยญvinced that everyยญthing they do is wrong and that their baby is payยญing the price by becomยญing sleep deprived. But in all likeยญliยญhood, youโ€™re doing almost everyยญthing right, because what your baby needs most of all is unconยญdiยญtionยญal love and devoยญtion, and youโ€™re givยญing them that in spades, right? A few tweaks to your babyโ€™s nightยญtime rouยญtine will make them sleep soundยญly and for longer and longer stretches. Once youโ€™ve instiยญtutยญed these steps for a few weeks, youโ€™ll find that your baby is sleepยญing betยญter, longer and more comยญfortยญably than you ever thought posยญsiยญble. And if the baby sleeps soundยญly, the mom has a chance to sleep soundยญly too. That means everyยญone is hapยญpiยญer and more well-rested!

1- Careful How Long You Let Daytime Naps Run

Itโ€™s temptยญing to allow your baby to sleep as long as they like durยญing the day, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly if youโ€™re sleep-deprived as a new mom. But the more they sleep durยญing the day, the less well they sleep at night, so donโ€™t let naps go longer than two and a half hours, at most! This depends in part on how old your infant is, of course โ€“ newยญborn babies sleep almost right through the day, except when they wake for feedยญings. But by the time they are three or four months old, startยญing rousยญing them to play when theyโ€™ve been asleep for over two hours, and theyโ€™ll be more ready for bed when the time comes.

2- Develop a Structured Routine At Bedtime

Babies need order; it helps them cope with a wildยญly stimยญuยญlatยญing world that conยญstantยญly comes at them from all directions. Be sure theyโ€™ve got a fresh diaยญper on before bed, turn down the lights, and swadยญdle them in a cozy oneยญsie and snug blanยญket. Then craยญdle them in your arms and sing โ€“ any song will do, proยญvidยญing your voice is calm and quiet. Turn on a white noise machine (weโ€™ll get to this step!) and genยญtly put your baby in the crib. Pause for a few moments if you wish to make sure the baby is comfortable.  You shouldยญnโ€™t stand there starยญing until your baby falls asleep, no matยญter how temptยญed you are! Babies are drowsy before bedยญtime, and they will fall asleep quickยญly and easยญiยญly once youโ€™re out of the room.

3- Consider Getting a White Noise Machine

These devices are wonยญderยญful for folks who live in busy areas with a lot of trafยญfic or for those who live with someยญone who snores loudยญly. They give off a low, conยญstant hum, much like a fan, seaยญside waves, or even an air conยญdiยญtionยญing unit. Because the sound is steady and at a conยญtinยญuยญous freยญquenยญcy, it lulls peoยญple to sleep. The same prinยญciยญple applies if you put one in your nursยญery. Furยญtherยญmore, if you live in a busy houseยญhold that canโ€™t be dead quiยญet because the baby is sleepยญing, itโ€™s a great alterยญnaยญtive to conยญstantยญly shushยญing everyone. With a white noise machine in the babyโ€™s room, the teenagยญer down the hall who needs music to do their studyยญing can play it, no problem.  A white noise machine, on low, gives your babyโ€™s audiยญtoยญry sensยญes someยญthing to focus on othยญer than the irregยญuยญlar hum of an active household.

4- Resist Rushing In At the Slightest Sound

It isnโ€™t easy to keep from runยญning into your babyโ€™s room at the first sound of them wakยญing, we know! But wait outยญside the nursยญery door for 60 secยญonds or so before going in and pickยญing the baby up for a cuddle. Many babies actuยญalยญly make soft noisยญes while they are still asleep, and othยญers rouse for a moment, then fall straight back to sleep when we let them. This pracยญtice encourยญages babies to fall asleep on their own someยญtimes, and thatโ€™s the goal as they get older.

5- Careful Where You Let Them Fall Asleep

baby bedtime routine l how to set a baby bedtime routine l good baby bedtime routine l Start a Bedtime Routine for a Baby l how to shift baby bedtime routine By the time a baby is four or five months old, most can fall asleep alone. If you cudยญdle and stay with them until they are asleep and then put them in their crib, itโ€™s not helpยญing them. Babies often starยญtle awake in the night, and if theyโ€™ve fallยญen asleep in their crib withยญout you, they wonโ€™t feel frightยญened when they wake in the night โ€“ theyโ€™ll know where they are. But if they fall asleep in your bed and rouse at 3 a.m. in their room, the surยญroundยญings may feel unfaยญmilยญiar, and they may start crying.

6- Donโ€™t Feed Them And Put Them Straight To Bed

This guideยญline changes dependยญing on your babyโ€™s age, of course. Newยญborns should be fed on demand. But withยญin a few months, start feedยญing them an hour or two before bedยญtime, so they donโ€™t assoยญciate food with sleep. Thatโ€™s a tough cycle to break once it starts, and it isnโ€™t healthy once your baby is no longer a newborn.

7- Stick To a Set Bedtime

We all know what hapยญpens when grandยญma and grandยญpa drop in for a visยญit after supยญper and beg you to keep their preยญcious grandยญchild awake for a longer visยญit โ€“ weโ€™ve all fallยญen into that trap! Itโ€™s okay once in a great while, but donโ€™t keep your baby awake past 7:30 p.m. Most nights at the latยญest, dependยญing on the babyโ€™s age. In winยญter, thatโ€™s not a probยญlem because the sun has long since set by that hour. But in sumยญmer, it can be hardยญer to get a baby to fall asleep because we have so many more hours of dayยญlight. In those months, make sure the blinds are down or the curยญtains drawn, makยญing the room as dark โ€“ and as quiยญet โ€” as possible.

8- Donโ€™t Make Yourself Crazy About This

New parยญents, espeยญcialยญly, tend to read scads of mateยญrยญiยญal on โ€œcorยญrectโ€ sleep habits for babies, from newยญborns to 18 months, and driยญve themยญselves crazy if their baby is not adherยญing to everyยญthing they read. While being informed is imporยญtant, it is equalยญly imporยญtant that you set the guideยญlines and stick to them when tryยญing to instiยญtute a solยญid sleep rouยญtine that works for everyone.

Final Thought!

Babies all need three things: lots of sleep, lots of nourยญishยญment, and lots of love. Oh, and a clean, fresh diaper! Make sure your baby has these things, and youโ€™re bound to have a hapยญpy, conยญtentยญed and well-restยญed infant. Develยญop a firm sleep rouยญtine and stick to it as much as you posยญsiยญbly can. After all, itโ€™s not only good for the baby โ€“ itโ€™s good for the mom, too. And a hapยญpy mom means a hapยญpy houseยญhold, right?! And it is true; lastยญing hapยญpiยญness comes from an intenยญtionยญal effort to put the right habits for you and your famยญiยญly in place!

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