Sleep Routine To Help Baby Sleep Through The Night
by Megan
(US)
I just wanted to share my baby sleep tip. My son is now 9 weeks old and has been sleeping through the night since about 4 weeks. I did a lot of research in this area before giving birth to my son. Being a first time mom, I have researched just about anything related to baby care :).
After my son lost his umbilical cord stump and could take a "real bath", every night I feed my son a light snack (less than a full bottle) at 6pm.
30 minutes later (giving him time to digest) we take a bath. I warm the bathroom with a space heater, fill the sink with warm water and lavender essential oil for relaxation, then bathe my son in the bathtub (if daddy's here to help, I take a bath with my son). Our bath time is full of smiles and songs. We keep his water warm, between 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit. After about a 15 minute bath, I dry him, put lotion on him, brush his hair, diaper him, and put him in his gown (there is always crying during this part, but I just think of it as him wearing himself out a little so he will sleep good).
Then I always take him to my bedroom (where the room is already dimmly lit, and a warm 6 oz bottle is made and ready. On my nightstand is everything I may need, so I don't have to get up (diapers, burp cloth, blanket, passi, etc). I feed my son (burping him well every 2 ounces).
Once I get down to about 1/2 an ounce, I change his diaper (if needed), burp him, and swaddle him nice and tight. Then I feed him his last little bit. If he isn't asleep by now (which he usually is), I just put a passi in his mouth and gently rock back and forth and he's asleep within 10 minutes.
I hold him in my arms for 30 minutes and then lay him in is crib. He usually sleeps 8-10 hours.
I think the reason for my success is consistency. We do this every night like clockwork. It takes a lot of time, but it's well worth it. Our bedtime routine is from 6-9 every night without fail.
Also, I am a fully breastfeeding mother EXCEPT his bedtime bottle. Babies sleep longer on formula, so I give him formula after his bath.
Things I always do: warm bottle, relaxing bath, warm bottle, swaddle, sleep (all night long).
Comments for
Sleep Routine To Help Baby Sleep Through The Night
Congratulations on your baby. You definitely have a routine going. We do pretty much the same with our 8 week old except that the times vary (between 7:00-9:00 pmish) since he may be asleep or when we have guests over.
I also breastfeed pretty much 98% and give him a bottle if I know I'll be somewhere I wont be able to BF or before bedtime.
What I wanted to ask you is; Do you do the routine when guests are over or do you not allow your baby to fall asleep around that time? Also, our son was given a pacifier at the nursery when he was born w/o our approval (sigh) now he is so attached to it that we have to constantly go to where ever he is and put it in his mouth else he'll start crying so much. We hate this pacifier b/c thanks to it our son lost his independence.
Any tips or advise would be appreciate it :)
Thanks
BelgianQueen
May 19, 2011
Tips to get rid of the pacifier by: Paula (Baby Help Line)
Hi BelgianQueen,
There are certainly ways to get rid of the pacifier - both quickly and in a way with less fussyness for your baby.
I m trying to put my 9 week old girl in a routineNEW by: Anonymous
She is a big baby so I normally try and feed her every 3-4 hours, during the day! I have a night time routine at moment where I feed her up, then she has a warm bath and then I will maybe feed her again if she isn't falling asleep, I put her down and let her settle herself in bed by 6-8. Then she someone times sleeps too 11.30pm and then wakes again at 2.30-3.30, and then at 6.30-7.30am, and then sometimes she surprises me and sleeps from her bedtime to 3.30am! But I would like to have a more consent night, I would like to start getting her to skip a meal in the evening so I can sleep longer, any ideas out there? Or suggest?? And I m breastfeeding
Nov 30, 2011
Skipping meals for babiesNEW by: Paula (Easy Baby Life)
Hi,
Actually, since your daughter is only 9 weeks old, I wouldn't try to skip any meals just yet. She is still in the most intense growth period of her life and really needs to eat frequently. Things will calm down in about a month to 6 weeks.
I know there are babies that sleep through early, but they are an exception.
I understand that you are tired, though, and need to sleep! Have you tried dreamfeeding your daughter just before you go to bed? (You can read about dreamfeeding here.)
