It is important to have a bedtime routine for your baby, even as young as 3 months. While older kids adjust better to a bedtime routine, the younger your child is , the better to start them on an evening routine.
Putting your baby on an evening/sleep routine helps them to sleep better by having them relax and wind down, make them get used to the routine and teach their body what to expect in the evening and reinforce the difference between day and night.
The easiest yet effective sleep routine should start with feeding, then bathing and then bedtime. Some moms may start with baby first and you should choose what is convenient for you. All these makes the child occupied and entertained, and ready for sleep, without overwhelming you.
Your baby can take a few days to adjust to this routine. However some may take a while such as week hence you need to be patient.
Why your 3-9 Months Baby Needs a Evening Routine
- Helps the Baby Sleep Easily- An evening routine helps your baby relax and wind down, hence fall asleep easily. It is especially helpful for babies who get cranky in the evening.
- Improves Quality of Sleep for the Baby– The activities of the routine helps the baby sleep better and enhance the quality of their sleep.
- Teach Baby what to Expect– The consistency and regularity of the sleep routine in the evening teaches the baby what to expect during this time. They are therefore usually ready for the bathing, feeding and winding down for sleep.
- Reinforce the Difference between Day and Night– An evening routine helps your baby understand the difference between the day and night. They understand the day as a time for play and the evening moving onward as a time for sleep. which also helps them to sleep better.
In addition to all this, it gives you some quality time with your baby as you bath, feed them, read stories to them etc. Also focus on integrating the baby’s routine into your evening routine/tradition so that you are also ready to sleep after your baby falls asleep. As a working mom you also need quality and adequate sleep.
Step by Step Evening Routine For Babies(3,6 & 9 Months)
Step 1: Feed the Baby
Ensuring your baby falls asleep when fed is important. If your baby is not well fed by the time they are falling asleep they make wake up later to feed. Therefore to enhance the quality of sleep for your baby, ensure that you start your routine by feeding your baby.
You may start doing this as early as 4.30 a.m as some baby may take longer to eat. You also need some time to allow the food to settle before the baby sleeps.
Read: How to Avoid Late Dinner for your Kid
Step 2: Baby’s Bath Time
After you have fed your baby and the food has settled, then you may proceed to bath them. You can do this an hour after feeding the baby around 5.30 pm
An alternative to this would be to start by bathing your child as the first thing in the routine then feeding them. Choose whichever option is more practical and convenience for you. While at it, make sure you have dressed them up ready for bed.
Step 3. Bedtime Routine
After your baby is well fed and clean, you can now start making them ready to fall asleep. You should be ready to start this part of the routine from 6.pm. This part of the evening routine should also be short as 10 minutes as the need is to help your baby relax, wind down and fall asleep.
Some ways to soothe your baby to sleep include;
- Reading a Storybook/Comic
- Watching a Cartoon Program
- Play/bond time- Physically engage the baby in some play activity.
How to Make your Baby Evening Routine Easy & Fast
1. Have an Early Bedtime
To ensure the baby gets adequate sleep and rest, limit the time they stay up in the evening. It is not good to keep your babies up till late. Depending on their an early bed time for your baby will avail you more time for self care before your own bedtime.
It is ideal for younger babies under 6 months to sleep between 6 pm and 7 pm. Older kids and toddlers can sleep latest 8 pm. To keep this time, you therefore need to push up the feeding and bath time.
How to Easily Move up your Baby’s Bedtime
- Set up a Target Bedtime– For instance, you can set your target to be 6:30 pm to 7 pm for your 6 months old baby. Depending on the current time your baby is sleeping now,it can take a while before you can hit this target.
- Move Bedtime Up Moderately by 30 Minutes– Make sure the move is moderate by starting with 30 minutes up moves at a time. Once your baby has adjusted with the introduced change, move up another 30 minutes closer to the target time. You will also need to move up other routines such as bathing and feeding to accommodate the new changes.
- Set a Bedtime Tradition – Have a tradition or routine that happens for your baby right before bedtime. Some traditions included dimming the lights, lullaby, bedtime story, goodnight hug/kiss etc. They will help signal to them it is time to sleep.
2. Encourage Independent Play for your Kids
Make your baby’s evening routine more effective by introducing age-appropriate independent play for your baby. Independent playtime is the ability of your baby to play by themselves, busy and entertained.
Once your baby is fed and clean, introduce appropriate independent play to wind down. It is possible for babies of all ages , even as young as 3 , 5 , 7 or 9 months or older. Some plays you can introduce around bedtime include building sets, sorting and self-play among others.
Read: How to Encourage Long Independent Play in Kids
4. Sleep Training
Sleep training means gives your baby the ability to self-soothe and go down to sleep independently, without your help. Not all moms are open to this but it is an option you can go for to avoid having to soothe your baby to sleep as it can be tiring and exhausting.
Sleep training make the bedtime routine better, easier and eases your baby towards fewer nighttime wakes, feeds, and soothing. Eventually, as they grow older, they will be able to sleep through the night.
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