How to Create the Perfect Bedtime Routine

The first step to every sleep plan I write for every single client is to create a bedtime routine that they can reasonably commit to doing nightly for their little one. Since it is never too early to institute a sleepy time routine, this is a great place to begin working on healthy and independent sleep habits whether your baby is a few days old or a few years.

Now, are very few rules behind creating a “perfect” routine, but the first rule is that it be fun.

If it is something you are going to do every single night for the foreseeable future, it should probably include some elements that you both find enjoyable. If you don’t love to sing, skip the lullaby! If your baby doesn’t want to flip through books at bedtime, find another calming activity. This routine is yours and yours alone- the only rule is that it be consistent and fun.

The other two rules are:

to the best of your ability it should always take place in the same place your baby sleeps, whether that is your bedroom or their own nursery,

and always feed first.

Step 1: Feed Baby

Feeding should always be the first thing you do, whether bottle or breastfed. Ideally, you are working on establishing independent sleep habits for your little one, so you want to separate feeding from sleep to avoid any association that might be tough to break later. Make sure baby takes a nice full feed before moving on with your routine.

Step 2: Keep the lights low

This will encourage a calm sleep space and help ramp up baby’s melatonin production, readying them for rest.

Step 3: White noise

I can’t say it enough! White noise is essential to quality sleep for your baby. Low and rumbly, roughly the volume of a running shower is the ideal. I recommend the Lectrofan White Noise machine for its multiple types of white noise and fan sounds, as well as a good volume range. You can check it out through my Amazon Affiliate link here.

Step 4: Put on pajamas and a sleep sack

Or whatever dressing is appropriate for the weather and the temperature of your home. I love the Halo sleep sack for swaddled and unswaddled babes, and this wearable blanket for early walkers.

Step 5: Make it personal

Here is where you can personalize the routine. Read a few stories. Sing songs with hand motions. Rock in the rocker and chat about your day. Play quietly with toys (don’t get rowdy or too excited!). Find a calming activity that you both love and enjoy.

Step 6: One final cue for sleepy time

Whatever you do here, it will signal to baby that it is time for bed. It may be prayers, a lullaby, or just a special goodnight. Keep it the final step in your routine every single night to tell baby that now the day is done and it is time to go to sleep.

I go so far as to sing the exact same lullaby to each of my children before bed. For each of our three boys, I chose a special lullaby and have sung their special song every single night of their lives. Before I even finish the first lines, they are rubbing their eyes and ready to sleep.

Step 7: Goodnight kisses and into bed

Putting baby down fully awake is the key to independent sleep. You have surely read or been told to put your baby down “drowsy but awake” in the past. True drowsiness where baby’s muscles relax and their eyes flutter closed is the first stage of sleep, so rocking them drowsy is to deprive them of the chance to fall asleep independently. You want to put your baby into the crib calm, ready for sleep, but very much awake.

That’s that. Your bedtime routine might not look like your sister’s or your neighbors or your best friend’s cousin’s. That’s okay! All that matters is that it works for you and your little one! Bedtime can be such a sweet, precious time spent with your baby each day. If your child is older than a year, it is a good time to introduce a visual bedtime routine that your little one can learn to follow step-by-step. Print your own using my free download!

I certainly know that as moms we all count the minutes to bedtime some days! Making that little window of one-on-one time with your baby calm, enjoyable, and predictable is an important first step to working on baby’s best sleep.

If you need some help for what comes after the bedtime routine, let me know! Book your free discovery call today!