*This article may have affiliate links, which means we may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links we provide (at no extra cost to you). For more details, please read our privacy policy/affiliate disclosure. Thank you for supporting the work we put into this blog!
Did you know that studยญies indiยญcate that as many as 90 perยญcent of all parยญents would change someยญthing about their babyโs nightยญtime rouยญtine if they could? Feel betยญter now?Obviยญousยญly, many parยญents are going through the same chalยญlengยญing issues youโre facยญing with your baby at bedยญtime, so donโt feel so alone and stress too much!Still, itโs tough when you feel like your baby is nevยญer going to sleep through the night โ we know.Thatโs 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, youโre doing almost everyยญthing right, because what your baby needs most of all is unconยญdiยญtionยญal love and devoยญtion, and youโre givยญing them that in spades, right?A few tweaks to your babyโs nightยญtime rouยญtine will make them sleep soundยญly and for longer and longer stretches.Once youโve instiยญtutยญed these steps for a few weeks, youโll 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
Itโs temptยญing to allow your baby to sleep as long as they like durยญing the day, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly if youโre sleep-deprived as a new mom. But the more they sleep durยญing the day, the less well they sleep at night, so donโt 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 theyโve been asleep for over two hours, and theyโll 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 theyโve 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 (weโll 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 shouldยญnโt 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 youโre 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 canโt be dead quiยญet because the baby is sleepยญing, itโs a great alterยญnaยญtive to conยญstantยญly shushยญing everyone.With a white noise machine in the babyโs 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 babyโs audiยญtoยญry sensยญes someยญthing to focus on othยญer than the irregยญuยญlar hum of an active household.
4- Resist Rushing In At the Slightest Sound
It isnโt easy to keep from runยญning into your babyโs 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 thatโs the goal as they get older.
5- Careful Where You Let Them Fall Asleep
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, itโs not helpยญing them.Babies often starยญtle awake in the night, and if theyโve fallยญen asleep in their crib withยญout you, they wonโt feel frightยญened when they wake in the night โ theyโll 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- Donโt Feed Them And Put Them Straight To Bed
This guideยญline changes dependยญing on your babyโs 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 donโt assoยญciate food with sleep.Thatโs a tough cycle to break once it starts, and it isnโt 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 weโve all fallยญen into that trap! Itโs okay once in a great while, but donโt keep your baby awake past 7:30 p.m.Most nights at the latยญest, dependยญing on the babyโs age. In winยญter, thatโs 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- Donโt Make Yourself Crazy About This
New parยญents, espeยญcialยญly, tend to read scads of mateยญrยญiยญal on โcorยญrectโ 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 youโre 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, itโs not only good for the baby โ itโs 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!
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking โAccept Allโ, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.