Hello everyone, I'm Eleven Mom! Welcome to the Eleven Moms' Baby Sleep Book. In today's article we talk about your baby's bedtime routine. Bedtime routines, simply put, are a series of things to do before going to bed to help prepare your baby for sleep.
Whether it's a day nap or a night's sleep, a good bedtime routine can help your baby transition smoothly to sleep and deepen the parent-child relationship.
Let's take a closer look at how to help your baby schedule bedtime routines.
How to schedule a sleep program for the evening
Nighttime bedtime routines are best controlled for 20-45 minutes
When your baby is 6-8 weeks old, you can start trying to schedule bedtime routines for your baby. At this time, your baby's bedtime routine only takes about 5-10 minutes, such as simple washing, changing diapers, changing pajamas, and listening to lullabies.
As your baby grows older, the recommended time for nighttime bedtime routines is limited to 20-45 minutes.
The 45 minutes here include the time to bathe before bedtime, and if the baby does not bathe, the bedtime routine is most appropriate between 20-30 minutes.
There are three main types of bedtime routines
Bedtime programs generally have three types of content, let me introduce them separately:
The first category is relaxation before going to bed. This includes dimming the lights in all rooms in the home, turning off the TV, computer, and iPad, bathing your baby, changing diapers, and changing pajamas.
The second category is parent-child interaction with the baby. This includes giving your baby a massage and playing some quiet games with your baby. For example, finger ballads [one finger dot, two fingers pinch], but also to read picture books to the baby, talk softly, hug the baby and so on. The third category is to give the baby sleep hints. For example, listen to lullabies and give your baby his favorite comforting items, such as small toys and small towels.
Of the three types of content mentioned above, you can choose the combination according to the actual situation of the baby. It is recommended to pick at least one content in each type to form a complete bedtime routine.
The content of the bedtime program is not as much as possible, and too much content the baby may think that this is a game, which is also troublesome for the mother. When choosing a combination plan, it is recommended that there should not be more than six in total.
After the plan is combined, let's practice first and see how much time it takes to observe the baby's reaction. Whether he likes it or not, whether he can quickly calm down and then adjust.
I would like to say here in particular that babies are naturally good listeners, and they love the voices of mom and dad. If moms want their child's dad to be more involved in the parenting process, then bedtime routines are a great breakthrough point.
Even if Dad doesn't do anything, he just accompanies Mom and Mom to chat. You will find that your baby will become very calm, feeling like listening intently to the adult and maintaining this quiet emotional state, which will make it easier for your baby to fall asleep.
How to schedule a bedtime routine for a daytime nap
Bedtime routines for daytime naps are best controlled at 10 minutes
After talking about the bedtime routine for going to bed at night, let's talk about the daytime nap. The bedtime routine for daytime naps only takes about ten minutes, and the content is about the same as at night, and you can understand it as a miniature version of the nighttime bedtime program.
Today I want to give you a small homework, parents today to try to arrange a bedtime program for the baby, and the baby to use before going to bed at night. You can record your baby's reaction to the comment area and share it with other mothers, and together we will arrange a set of bedtime programs that your baby likes best and comforts your baby.
Well, today's article is shared here, I hope that we can have the opportunity to become a better self because of the arrival of our children, be better parents, learn to think, learn to judge, learn to analyze, and accompany our children to grow up with him.
This article is original by the little man at home, welcome to pay attention, take you along with long knowledge!