Looking back at my years of practice, I’ve come to realize that babies and sleep may be the one issue that strikes the most fear in the minds of new parents. But when you come to think about it, a bedtime routine is one of the most beautiful bonding experiences between parents and their babies. Do you know that there is even a science to bedtime routines? What to do each night, why we do it, and how it helps, both in the short term and long term.
Last time we delved into what to do when your baby wakes up too early, today, we will be sharing a few things that we have learned from tons of research. And honestly, from our own experiences as new parents and pediatricians.
- Establishing a nighttime routine is vital.
This doesn’t mean it will be at the same time every single night. Baby sleep habits change as they grow, I mean, every aspect of their lives change day-to-day. Some days, babies will sleep a lot, other days, less than you hoped. There’s no reason to panic if your baby sleeps six hours straight one night, then only sleeps three hours at a time the next.
So, one of the first things we need to understand is that establishing a routine does not mean getting your baby to sleep on the same schedule for the same amount of time. Believing that is only a recipe for heartbreak.
However, from our interaction with parents, we found out they are “averse to the word ‘schedule”’ and that many parents aren’t seeing the connection between routines and a healthy start of life for babies. We also discovered, however not surprising, that parents find setting and maintaining routines for their babies pretty challenging, because of how demanding the newborn and infant stage can be.
- Nighttime Massages are impactful
Remember how relaxed you feel after getting a massage? Your baby feels that same, well, on a tinier scale.
Routine touch and light massages as part of your baby’s bedtime routine improve the quality and even quantity of sleep your baby gets. Massages have been known to help babies, infants and toddlers relax and sleep better, reduce crying, and positively impact infant hormones that control stress.
Massages also encourage positive physical interaction between parents and baby.
Even more studies have touched on benefits of infant massage including aiding digestion; helping to relieve colic, gas and constipation; relieving nasal congestion; easing teething discomfort; helping to develop good muscle tone, coordination, and suppleness. Plus, it boosts your own confidence as a parent.
- Quiet time is important
Have you ever tried to watch some scary movie or exercise right before bed? You’d admit that it’s not the most sleep-inducing decision. The same rule applies to babies. (Not that they’re out there watching scary movies or jumping ropes.)
Establishing a quiet time routine before bedtime is really helpful to both parents and babies as it helps your child associate this time with the bed so they can start getting sleepy.
Use the quiet time to make up a bedtime story, read a good children’s book, listen to quiet soothing music- or sing to them if you are good at singing.
Do you have other helpful tips? Please do share in the comments below.
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