That special time of quiet cuddling that marks the end of the day.Ĩ. Read one short book and have a “closure cuddle”. For babies older than 4 months, I strongly recommend a sleep sack for warmth and security.ħ. For babies less than 4 months I suggest swaddling. Change baby into pajamas and change diaper.Ħ. Play or sing a little lullaby as a cue.ĥ. Keep repeating your “key phrase” throughout the routine so she can learn what it means.ģ. Tell baby that “its sleepy time”, and take her into the room where she sleeps for the night. For this age group, between 6-7 pm to be asleep is appropriate.Ģ. From my experience, the majority of parents with a baby in the 4-6 months age range who are having sleep issues, have a bedtime that is too late. One of the most common parenting mistakes is picking a bedtime based on external factors not related to baby, such as when Dad comes home from work. Observe that baby is decreasing her interest and engagement in her activities and that the appropriate time has elapsed since getting up from her last nap. An example of a bedtime routine might look something like this:ġ. Bedtime routines are all about consistency and setting up cues for baby that sleep is coming. It was because baby was tired and ready for bed, rather than a bath.Ī bedtime routine for a baby less than 12 months should be about 5-10 minutes in length. Wouldn’t you want your 7 month old baby to be alert and able to enjoy the bath rather than fussy and cranky? I had a client who told me that her baby always cried during the bath. You can, but it is all done before your bedtime routine, before your older baby is entering the tired zone. Should you remove the bath from your bedtime routine?Īll this is not to say that you can’t bathe your baby at night. Often kids enjoy the bath so much it will stimulate them rather than calm them. While a bath may make a newborn sleepy, it can have the opposite effect with babies 4 months and older. Swaddling, swinging, sssshing and bouncing are a few that come to mind and are much less effort, and easier on delicate skin, than a bath.Ĥ. For newborns, there are many other ways to soothe a baby that offering a bath. Why would I want to keep a fussy baby up longer? I would prefer to get that baby to sleep.ģ. If a bath is part of the routine, on nights when you are running late, and baby is already overtired, you still have to bathe him. A bath everyday can dry out a baby’s skin, especially during the winter months in cold climates.Ģ. My answer: Not necessarily Here is why I don’t think a bath should be part of bedtime routines.ġ. Does this effect mean that a bath should be part of baby’s bedtime routines? For a little baby, 0-3 months, baths are very helpful as the sensation of the water is similar to the womb, the warmth is soothing and then the drop in core temperature after the bath signals the body it is time for sleep. This drop in core temperature signals your body that it’s time for sleep. Will a Bath Help your Baby Sleep?Īfter a bath, your body temperature drops a few degrees. So in this post, I will discuss bedtime routines for babies. The bath is similar to the soothing conditions the baby experienced in the womb. It didn’t go well since he was so sleepy from the bath! It is true that a bath will make a newborn sleepy. I remember being in the hospital, hours after my baby’s birth, giving him a bath and then trying to breastfeed.
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