A baby sleep routine for getting your baby to sleep faster, better and longer
Establish a bedtime baby sleep routine. Your baby sleep routine will start to give your baby cues that bedtime is coming and help your baby fall asleep faster as well as sleep through the night better. Think of your routine working like a stimulus/ response model with the elements of your nighttime routine acting as signals that trigger a sleep response from your baby.
There’s also another significant benefit to having a baby sleep routine: it’s very comforting! It’s amazing how the sense of routine is so comforting for your baby. It shouldn’t be so surprising though- your baby is a person. How would you feel if someone kept changing or interrupting your sleep routine? Turning off your lights at 10:00 one night, 7:30 another; bathing you before bed one night and tickling you the next; standing over you when you’re sleeping, picking you up, kissing you, cooing at you?
So the idea is to pick a routine that works for you – there is not some magic sleep ritual that works for all families and babies. Just find something that works for you and to your best to stick with it. Here are some common elements of night time baby sleep routines:
Overall- while there isn’t one special element that will make your baby sleep routine a sure-fire success, there are elements that are very likely to hurt your success. The biggest thing to avoid is too much stimulation in the hour leading up to bed time. Make sure the TV is not on, try to avoid visitors at this time of day and limit stimulating activities. As you get closer to bed time, it is a good idea to keep the lights on the low side as well.
Bath – If you have the time a soothing bath is a very good way to start your baby sleep routine. This can be a great place to bond with your baby and unwind from the day’s activities. In the early days you will most likely use a sink or a smaller basin that you fill with water from the sink. (You can get our recommendations for basins and other items in our shopping list. Just fill out our email form.)
A quiet massage is soothing after a bath
Massage – Many parents like to follow the bath with a baby massage as part of their baby sleep routine. While it is a great way to help the baby relax, it is another great way to connect with your baby. There are lots of sources to give you techniques on how to massage your baby.
Feeding- We do our final feed for the day after our baby’s bath and after getting him in a clean diaper and in his pajamas. Lights should be kept low during this feeding and having soothing music on in the background (a mobile works well, as will be discussed next) is a good idea. Its best to avoid to much chatter around the baby at this point, so try to put off that phone call until after baby has been put to bed.
Music, mobile – Like we mentioned above, it’s nice to have music on leading up to bedtime. Having a mobile on the crib is a great way to do this. We turned ours on every night just before the pre-bedtime feeding and left it on after we put our baby down to sleep. The mobile is a great sleeping queue. Of course you need to get this out of the crib by the time the baby is standing, but we think you’ll find that you won’t be reliant on the mobile any more by that point. To help avoid noise interrupting your baby’s sleep we also recommend a baby sound machine.
Storytime – This is another great way to bond with your baby. If you think your infant is not listening think again! Most doctors agree that hearing parents reading (and talking) is a tremendous help to developing verbal skills. While your baby is young, you can probably just read one or two books a night (of course feel free to read as many as you want!). As your baby grows into a toddler, bedtime reading can become a much longer and interactive activity. Good books for this phase involve a diversity of colors, simple illustrations, and are made from cardboard so they do not get easily torn or damaged.
Some of our favorites include:
Sandra Boynton books are fantastic – Barnyard Dance, The Going to Bed Book, etc
Counting Kisses by Karen Kane – very sweet and lets you give your little one lots and lots of kisses!
Goodnight Moon – we listed this because it is a classic, but to be honest its not one of our favorites — we really don’t get the hype over this one
(You’ll see more on our baby sleep shopping list.)
Baby Sleep Routine | Next Steps
Those are the basics for a good newborn baby sleep routine. Adapt what you think makes sense for you and develop your own approach. If you’d like an example, we have a suggested schedule for a baby sleep routine here: http://www.4babysleep.com/sleep-training/baby-sleep-training/
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Baby sleep training to get a newborn baby to sleep through the night is like the Holy Grail for new parents. Many, many people will say it’s just not possible until your baby is several months old (at least) and others act like getting no sleep for months is like a badge of honor for new moms and dads.
Well, our family is living proof that you can in fact be getting pretty close to a full night of uninterrupted sleep when your baby is merely weeks old. By the time our son was a month old, he was sleeping from 7:30 pm until 5-6 am on a fairly consistent basis. No, he is not a miracle baby (although he is pretty awesome). It’s because we started baby sleep training when he was a week or two old. Don’t get scared – we are not talking about Ferberizing or anything like it. We will walk you through the basics below.
First and foremost, you must remember that your baby is a person! That’s right, you made a little person! We know you know this- at least on some level. But it’s worth thinking about more deeply– especially when all you can think about is wanting to know how to make your baby sleep. Your baby is a new person, experiencing nearly everything for the first time. What can you do to respect your baby and make this transition into the world as easy and comfortable as possible?
Especially for a new baby, you should be aware that most things that you do will have an impact on the habits your baby is forming. So, unless you plan to hold your baby whenever he/she naps indefinitely, don’t let your baby get used to sleeping in your arms. If you think we are exaggerating, we are not – friends let their newborn son get used to napping while being held and for the next 8 or 9 months, this is what they had to do each day- it was the only way he would sleep!! It’s also good to think about your actions in terms of your baby’s routine. There is a tremendous comfort in having a consistent daily routine – including a baby sleep training routine.
Now, onto the heart of the matter – how does one do baby sleep training to get a young baby to sleep thru the night? What worked for us was getting on son on a pretty strict schedule that dictated when he would be fed, when he would sleep and when he would be awake. The other big component is making sure that the baby gets sufficient food intake during the day so he/she can sleep thru the night.
Baby Sleep Training Schedule:
Our schedule was pretty straightforward and centered on 2 key things: feeding him enough and making sure he was awake for long enough during the day. Here was a standard day:
7:00 – 8:00 morning feeding,
8:00 – 10:00 morning nap
10:00 – 11:00 feed baby, get him dressed for day
11:00 – 1:00 keep baby awake – go out for a walk, play, whatever you want, but keep baby awake
1:00 – 2:00 feed baby, get baby ready for nap
2: 00 – 4:00 afternoon nap
4:00 – 5:00 feed baby
5:00 – 6:30 keep baby awake – have visitors over, play, read
6:30 – 7:00 bath time for baby & then dress baby for bed
7:00 feed baby and put to bed
Feeding for Baby Sleep Training
Many baby “professionals” say that you have to wake a baby every three hours to make sure he/she gets enough food. I guess these professionals don’t recognize the benefits of uninterrupted sleep for mom, dad and baby. We agree that you absolutely must be very careful that the baby is getting sufficient milk throughout the day (rule of thumb is baby’s weight in lbs x 2.5 oz) but an appropriate baby sleep training schedule should take care of that.
What we did, over a period of days/weeks, was to slowly increase the amount our son ate at each feeding so that he was consuming enough milk during his 5 daytime feedings. And we initially thought that we should just feed him more before bed – that the earlier feedings didn’t matter – that’s not at all true. We were most successful when he ate a standard amount across each of his feedings. If you follow this approach, be aware that you will be feeding your baby more per feeding than many people do – and there are naysayers out there! But we followed this approach, as did many other people that we know and all of the kids are now at least toddlers or older and all are thriving.
Training your baby to fall asleep and to stay sleeping can be a huge benefit to both you and your baby. And don’t underestimate how valuable it is for you to get sleep as a new parent. It might seem obvious, but being able to get a decent night sleep during a very stressful time in your life will help your health, mood, and of course- let you take better care of your baby! And don’t forget– your baby NEEDS sleep. Incorporate some of these baby sleep training tips and you and your baby will be well on your way.
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Shopping for Baby Bedding Sets for Boys?
The three key criteria for choosing baby boy bedding sets are:
1) Safety
2) Comfort
3) Durability
And while we’re at it, let’s make sure it looks good.
Our favorite baby boy bedding set under $100 is the this 4 Piece Crib Bedding Set. The Cotton Tale site lists the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price at $210 for this bedding set, but as of this writing, the price is SIGNIFICANTLY less at Amazon. Click here to see the current price of our favorite baby boy bedding.
The colors in this set are fairly typical for baby bedding sets for boys– blue, green, and brown. But because of the jungle animals, there are a lot more colors. And a lot more to entertain your baby!
Cotton Tale bedding is a solid all-around performer- they’re known for quality and originality. And this cute jungle animal themed set makes great baby boy bedding.
Comfortable Baby Boy Bedding
This is a quality set of 4 pieces: sheet, dust ruffle, quilt and bumper. 100% cotton and 200 thread count! If you’ve been looking for baby bedding, you’ll know that a lot of the bedding in this price range is not 100% cotton and doesn’t list a thread count- (80 to 120 is common in this price range). Higher thread counts (200 or more) are softer on baby’s skin and last longer. An Amazon reviewer comments on the quality and durability of this set:
I have had this bedding for almost 2 years and I love it. I have a rough and tough boy who tends to destroy things and this crib set has outlasted him. Nothing has came apart and the colors haven’t faded at all.
Durability is important for baby boy bedding
Another amazon reviewer praises this set for its durability too:
The facric is durable, I have washed it many times and the colors haven’t faded, it still looks new and it’s a year old.
Instead of putting their money towards licensing cartoon characters to get some extra marketing appeal, Cotton Tale invested in quality materials. And their cute animal design puts most licensed cartoon characters to shame.
This baby bedding set ships for free at Amazon. One reviewers said that it sells out quickly.
I looked everywhere for this bedding. Everyone that sold it was selling out very very fast!
Baby bedding sets for boys– a note about safety
The key to safety for baby bedding sets is FIT. Make sure that your mattress fits snugly in your crib, that your sheets fit snugly on your mattress. For safety, bumpers are not recommended. They do look good and you should feel free to have them in the crib when the baby isn’t. If you are using them, make sure the ties are secure and that they have ties on the top and the bottom- so that your baby can’t get underneath them. But seriously: just don’t use them.
The other important safety tip when it comes to baby bedding: nothing in the crib! Especially anything soft- like a blanket or pillow. Blankets, pillows, and other soft bedding accessories have been linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). A pocket can form in the blanket around your baby’s face which can lead to suffocation. Easy rule: nothing in the crib!
When this was written, Amazon showed having 1 set in stock. Click here to check on our favorite baby bedding sets for boys at Amazon now.
Tagged: baby bedding sets for boys, baby boy bedding, featured
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Baby sound machines are a great sleep aid to help soothe fussy babies to sleep. Most are capable of making several different sounds- one of which is sure to help your baby sleep. Think of it like an automated way to gently hush your baby.
Soothing Sounds Baby Sound Machine
A particularly cuddly option we recommend is the Baby Sleep Sheep. You can use the Baby Sleep Sheep to help soothe your baby to sleep and then it automatically turns off after a set amount of time.
Keep in mind– with the sleep sheep you still need to be extra careful how loud you are outside the baby’s room. It doesn’t provide the same kind of constant sound-proofing that white noise machines do (example below). The baby sleep sheep has several different sound choices. We always had the best luck with the whale sounds. But it also has sounds of mother’s heartbeat, spring showers, and ocean surf.
The mother’s heartbeat sound is supposed to be especially comforting as its meant to remind the baby of the sounds it heard in mommy’s womb. Another nice feature of the baby sleep sheep is the the velcro that lets you attach it to anything– like the side of the crib– or the diaper bag, so you’re not without your baby sound machine when traveling.
Some parents talk about the sleep-sheep like it almost has magical powers in helping make their baby sleep:
The Sleep Sheep has been a godsend in helping my baby (age three months) sleep… After only two days, I’m able to lay him in his crib while he’s still awake, and he falls asleep on his own. This has been the best sleep aid product that I’ve bought.
And no need to worry about durability, a reviewer who’s had the sleep-sheep for years commented on how well it handles getting washed. (The actual baby sound machine is easy to remove from the stuffed animal for washing.)
We have machine washed and dried this MANY times and it seems to be standing up to the beatings a washing machine can give a stuffed animal
Baby Sound Machine for White Noise
And this is the baby sound machine we use and recommend for generating white noise so we don’t wake the baby. Unlike most others, this is not a computer generated white noise machine– it uses a fan (but it doesn’t generate any wind) and sounds much more natural.
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