Everyone knows, part of getting a baby to have a good night’s sleep is a good night time routine! I like to keep ours nice and simple, since I’m not always home for bedtime. So it needs to be simple enough for Grandma or Daddy to follow too!
Research shows that an established bedtime routine leads to a better nights sleep. Babies and children who are on a consistent bedtime schedule fall asleep easier and wake up less throughout the night. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about babies (my baby anyways!) its that they thrive on schedules and consistency.
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A bedtime routine also helps Sawyer to recognize we’re about to go to sleep and it’s time to wind down. When we give him a warm bath, followed by a story, and the rest of our bedtime steps, he is beginning to notice the pattern and recognize that these things mean it’s time to sleep.
First, we take a nice, warm bath. We don’t bathe Sawyer every night. It’s just not necessary. But I shoot for every other night, sometimes more if he’s fussy. Never once in his life has he ever cried in the bath. He loves it. It’s his Daddy’s secret weapon to getting him to calm down when I’m not home.
Our body wash/shampoo of choice is Little Green Cares. It is an allergen-free and safe product that smells great! I know you’ve all probably seen scary articles about the ingredients in infant bath products, and with Little Green Cares, we don’t have to worry! We have quite a few products by them and love them! It’s accidentally gotten in Sawyer’s eyes on occasion and he didn’t mind one bit. It’s also great for his sensitive skin, he never has any reactions! We love the stuff!
After his bath, we take him to his changing table, put on a fresh diaper and brush his hair. I spritz on a little of our Little Green Care’s leave-in conditioner to prevent tangles. Now that his hair is growing longer, we have to make sure to brush it out before he sleeps on it or it will be crazy when he wakes up! I massage him with some lavender baby oil to keep his skin moisturized, and calm him down before bed. Then, we put on his pajamas and pick out a story!
Reading to him is so fun. He loves to look at the bright, colorful pictures, and occasionally reach for the book and try to put it in his mouth! Reading to him is so beneficial. It helps to develop his language skills. We try to read to Sawyer every night before bed!
After, we’ve read him a book, we trek downstairs and I set him down while I get ready to nurse. I grab myself a glass of water and lay out his Zipadee Zip. Then, I nurse him to sleep. Once he’s out, I carefully put him in his Zipadee Zip and carry him to his room. I lay him in his crib, turn on his diffuser and noise machine and quietly slip out.
If you’re into essential oils, diffusing is so great! We have a diffuser in almost every room in the house. The one in Sawyer’s room, we use while he is sleeping to diffuse Lavender or Serenity to promote a good night’s sleep.
We use a white noise machine to help stifle out the noises we might make throughout the house that could wake him up! When we first brought him home, it was the middle of Summer, and we slept with a (loud) air conditioner on our in our room. Because of this, he got used to the noise and now he can’t sleep without it! We use myBaby Soundspa because it is inexpensive, and easily portable. So we can take it with us on trips or to Grandma’s house! We use the white noise setting because it most closely resembles the sound of the air conditioner, and it’s best for stifling out other noises.
After Sawyer is down, I’ll get a few more things done around the house, work on my blog a little bit, and then settle in with Kurtis on the couch to watch The Tonight Show. Then, we head to bed. As long as it’s decently warm Sawyer will sleep through the night. If it’s chilly, he’ll probably wake up after a few hours and we’ll bring him in bed with us where it’s warmer. But the transition to his own room is almost complete! I think having a good bedtime routine is to thank!
Whats in your bedtime routine?
xoxo.