Establishing a Bedtime Routine

The baby's sleep routine—or lack thereof—is a perpetually hot topic for parents, often causing a lot of anxiety. The many milestones of a baby’s first year can cause disruptions in sleep patterns.

Sometimes, an older baby cries in frustration as he tries to roll over or stand up in his crib, disrupting any chance of going to sleep calmly. For other babies, separation anxiety causes them to cry for you.

Don’t worry. There are things you can do to make bedtime more pleasant for all of you. A bedtime routine helps signal to your baby that it’s time to go to bed and can make going to sleep—and staying asleep—easier.

Introduce a bedtime routine when your baby is around 3 to 6 months old. It can be as simple as reading a story and singing a lullaby—something that says the day is over and it’s time to sleep. A consistent routine, such as wiping the gums and emerging teeth, changing into sleeping clothes and turning the lights off or low before putting your baby into his crib, signals bed time.
At night, try not to let your baby fall asleep anywhere but in the crib, so that he knows the crib is for sleep and gets used to falling asleep there on his own.
Transitional objects (like stuffed animals or blankets) are fine if they are child-safe (without ribbons, loose buttons, small parts that can cause choking or fluffiness that can cause suffocation).
If your baby wakes during the night, keep things as quiet and soothing as possible. If you haven’t left a nightlight on, turn on a dim light. Keep feeding brief. Don’t talk—just make soothing sounds so he knows that you’re not there to play. Make sure that everything you’ll need during the night is in one place so you don’t have to carry him around while you search for a diaper or a wipe.