Sleeping throughout the night starts with a good bedtime routine. Whether you’re struggling to establish a baby bedtime routine or a child bedtime routine, it all begins with consistency. Here are 6 activities that you can incorporate into any bedtime routine for children. Although many of these activities may seem geared to older kids. You can still incorporate them into a toddler or baby’s bedtime routine. Keep reading for the ultimate child bedtime routine for better sleep.
Why is a bedtime routine so important?
Sleep is essential for kids as it has a direct impact on your kid’s physical and mental development. Rested kids make for more healthy kids overall. Therefore, it is important to teach kids about good sleep hygiene early on to avoid poor sleep habits. Establishing a bedtime routine for baby, or toddler or an older child will teach your baby/child good sleep habits by helping them to know when it’s time to go to sleep. It will also provide better sleep throughout the night as many of these activities help relax and unwind your child.
Bath time:
Bath time is the first signal to my daughter that it is time to go to bed. Have you ever noticed a lot of baby bath products have lavender in them? Lavender is known to have a relaxing effect. This may not work for every child but it works for my daughter. Therefore, we use a baby wash that has lavender in it. The warm bath also helps relax and unwind.
Moisturize and Massage:
After bath time, I quickly dry off my daughter and put on her diaper. While I moisturize her skin I take a quick opportunity to provide a gentle massage. She loves when I massage her feet, arms, and shoulders while we moisturize. This step can be skipped if your child does not like massages. Massages can be relaxing and can help your child settle and sleep throughout the night
Pajamas:
After my daughter is dried and moisturized. I put on her PJs. It’s important that your kids have pajamas/sleep clothing because pajamas are more comfortable to sleep in than street clothes. Also, by putting on their sleep clothes, it signals to them that it’s time for bed and not the time for play.
Bedtime stories:
My daughter loves books as we have been reading to her since she was a baby. A bedtime story is a perfect time to relax and spend some time together. Plus, regular reading has many benefits for children. If you are looking for some classic bedtime stories check out my post 8 Must-Have Classic Children’s Books.
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Prayer:
If you’re not religious you can skip this. However, for my family, this is part of our bedtime routine. Although, my daughter can’t talk she still listens and enjoys the moment.
I love you :
Right before bed my husband or I make sure to give plenty of hugs and kisses before my daughter goes to sleep. We also make sure we say “I love you”. With a busy day sometimes it’s hard to let our loved ones know that they mean a lot to us.
White noise or lullaby:
This is not always incorporated into our bedtime routine but some babies and toddlers may require a white noise machine or music to help fall asleep. Soft music or a white noise machine help soothe and drown out outside noise, helping your child fall asleep and stay asleep.
Night Light:
Some kids are uncomfortable sleeping in a dark room. Therefore, they need some light to fall asleep as a pitch dark room can be frightening. A night light can come in handy by providing some light, and comfort.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Remember, in order to establish an efficient child bedtime routine or baby bedtime routine, it’s all about incorporating things that work for you and your family and being consistent. Practice makes perfect and it may take some time to get the right routine.
Until Next Time,
Sincerely Jackline
What are your tips for establishing a bedtime routine that helps your child or baby sleep?
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