Here’s an example of a bedtime routine which you and your baby or toddler will love. You’ll want to adapt this depending on your little one’s age. But remember that it should be focused and not too long. 20 minutes for an 8 week old baby, moving to a maximum of 45 minutes for a toddler is ideal.

Bathtime                   

Play, splash and wash using baby safe bath time products. This is often a great time of day for dad to bond with his little one.

Cuddle                      

Cuddle baby up in a super soft towel, like the Cuddledry Baby Apron Towel, and make sure you dry between her toes, under her arms and behind her knees.

Massage       

A massage for a younger baby can be soothing and relaxing (especially if she has colic).

Lullabies       

Some lullabies playing softly while you dry and massage baby can be calming for you both

Sleepwear

Look for sleepsuits and pyjamas that are soft, comfortable and breathable – bamboo is a lovely fabric for baby sleepwear.

Sleeping bag

Baby sleeping bags keep baby safe by preventing her from slipping under the covers, they keep her warm and they act as a sleep cue. Bamboo baby sleeping bags are anitbacterial and help your baby to maintain an even temperature.

Story  

This is a great time to have a look at a little book with your baby or toddler.

Feed  

You may want to feed your baby earlier in the routine if she’s hungry or likely to fall asleep while feeding. The milk and sucking will help her to relax. But don’t let her fall asleep on the bottle or breast. A baby who goes in the cot awake and settles herself to sleep is more likely to sleep through the night than one who relies on being fed to sleep.

Baby comforter

Hold a baby comforter close between you when feeding so she becomes attached to something that will help her to feel secure when you’re not in the room.

Lights out

Turn the light off and leave your baby to fall asleep. White noise, or the soothing sound of nature, like the sound of the sea on our baby sleep CD, can often help a younger baby relax and transition between sleep cycles at night.

If your baby becomes distresed after you have left her to fall asleep, check out our baby sleep tips and advice to help her learn how to sleep through the night.

Tags: baby sleep, Baby sleep advice, baby sleep through the night, self settle, sleeping through the night, tackling baby sleep problems, toddler sleep advice

This entry was posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 11:12 am and is filed under Baby comforter, Baby sleep advice, Toddler sleep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.