How to Put a Baby to Bed

Creating a bedtime routine and a relaxing environment are key to getting your baby to go to bed easily.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Diaper
• Pajamas
• breastmilk/formula
• heating pad
• lavender massage oil
• love
• patience

1. Make sure baby's diaper is fresh, and change her/him into a warm sleep sac or comfortable PJs. Always changing you baby into bedtime clothes will help form a routine and signal that it's almost bed time.
2. Make the house quiet and dark. Walk around and turn off the lights, play some soft music, like a quiet lullaby CD or quietly sing, while you nurse or give you baby a bottle.
3. While feeding your baby, have someone (or you can do it before you start the feeding) put a heating pad in the bassinet/crib.
4. Half way through the feeding, burp your baby. Then again at the end of the feeding, let your baby lay flat on your lap for 20 seconds, then hold them up and gently burp them (letting them lay flat and then burping them works really well!).
5. Lay baby on her/his back on your lap or bed, and massage their tummy and legs with massage oil with a couple drops of lavender essential oil mixed in. Try not to talk to your baby or anyone in the room as it will be too stimulating for the baby. Quietly hum or sing if you like.
6. Mary Cassatt painted mothers with babies. Remove the heating pad from the baby's bed. Give her a kiss and set her down.
7. The warmth of her bed will help her to feel cozy and fall asleep. It will make the transition from being held against your warm body to her bed go more smoothly.

Tips & Warnings

• I use a rice filled heating pad that I warm up in the microwave.
• If baby is upset and needs to be calmed down, try putting them in a sling and walking around, gently bouncing or rocking with them in it. while patting them on the bottom. The rhythm of both can be very soothing.
• If baby seems colicky, try helping them relieve gas. See my article "How to help a gassy baby"
• Putting you rbaby to sleep on their back can reduce the risk of SIDS.
• Don't put stuffed toys or pillows in a little baby's bed. Keep the dressed warm enough and the room warm enough that you don't need to use a blanket.