How to Establish a Baby Bed Time Routine

It's important at some early point in a baby's life to establish a bed time routine. When you first try to put a baby to bed they may cry and fuss for attention. You need to teach them how to go to sleep on their own by repeating the same pattern of behavior every night. The more you stray from the routine, the less likely the baby will ever accept bedtime as you want it. Once you let the baby know that if it cries you will come and take it out of the crib and comfort it, it will continue to ask for attention in that way. The older the baby gets the more difficult it will be.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Bathe your baby. Before bedtime is a good time for a relaxing bath and bath time can be a wonderful chance to bond with baby.

2. After bath time you can spend a little time holding the baby and singing, talking, or reading to it. If you have a rocker, this is a great time to use it. Gentle rocking can help both you and the baby relax.

3. Say good night and give the baby the last kiss and cuddle for the day.

4. Put the baby into the crib. Turn down the lights and leave the room.

5. Stay out of sight of the baby if it is just mildly fussing. With any luck baby should just fall asleep.

6. Go into the baby's room if baby is screaming and crying, but do not pick up the baby. Just stroke the baby with your hand and tell it good night and that you love it. After a minute or so leave the room and allow the baby to go to sleep on their own.

7. If the baby is still crying hard, go back into the room but do not touch the baby. Just talk to it softly for a moment and say goodnight again. As before give the baby some time to find its own way into dreamland.

8. Go into the baby's room again only if baby is still crying as hard as before showing no signs of settling down. This time let the baby see you smiling at it, but do not speak to it and do not touch it. Let the baby go to sleep on it's own even if the child is still crying hard.