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Sleep is a very touchy subject when it comes to babies. From the moment that baby enters the world everyone is asking you how that little bundle of joy is sleeping. We all know the answer, a few hours in a row is a good night. Babies come out nocturnal, it’s kind of hard to escape. But it doesn’t have to stay that way forever. And it doesn’t have to be hard to help your baby start sleeping at night. Yesterday I shared tips on how to make bedtime with your toddler go much smoother, and today I want to share tips for helping your baby sleep.

I know there are a lot of contradicting views out there. Do I let my baby cry it out? Do I co-sleep? Do I rock my baby to sleep or lay them awake? But the end goal is you just want some sleep as soon as possible. It is pretty hard to function on two hours of collective sleep forever.

I don’t have all the answers, but we tried the same routine with both babies and we have great sleepers. We don’t like to let our babies cry, so here are some tips for establishing a bedtime routine for a better bedtime with little tears!

A Routine to Help Baby Sleep:

Be consistent during the day. I know it seems pretty silly that the first step to a better bedtime routine is about your schedule during the day, but it’s true! If you aren’t consistent during the day then the night time is going to be a lot harder. Your daily schedule is practice for bed time! If your child doesn’t get enough sleep during the day, or gets too much, it will back fire on you at night. Check out my baby’s first year series for some sample schedules on how much sleep your little one should be getting each day to help with nighttime sleep. Also, you want to make sure they are getting enough time awake during the day which leads me to the next point.

Longer wake time before bed. The longest stretch of wake time your infant has should be right before they go to bed. This will help burn off a lot of energy and get them good and sleepy for the long night ahead. When Elyse was taking three naps a day she had a two hour wake time right before bed that really helped her sleep better at night. Now that she has dropped to two naps a day and an earlier bedtime the wake time is still there, but not as carved out as when she was younger. But this is very important!

Do something to wind down. When you are running around all day, come home, and attempt to go straight to bed it doesn’t work very well does it? Your mind is still running even though your body is just lying there. Same goes for babies! They need something that signals their body to start calming down and preparing for bed.

This is where your actual bedtime routine comes in…

Bedtime Routine to Help Baby Sleep:

Bath. Baths are a great way to calm your little one down. We like to wash Elyse with lavender to signal her body to relax. Once she gets out her eyes are already heavy and ready to sleep.

Snack. Elyse has a crazy fast metabolism, so we have to make sure her belly is full before she heads to sleep. She still nurses right before bed right now, so that helps, but we still top her off with some crackers or yogurt before bed.

Story. Our family story time is one of our favorites. Since switching Jase to a bed we usually all cuddle in his bed and read a story together and pray as a family.

Snuggle. I snuggle up with Elyse in the rocking chair in her room and nurse her before bed. When she was little I would rock her until she was drowsy and then lay her down. This helps babies learn to fall asleep on their own. Now that she is older I can nurse her belly full while rocking her, then lay her straight in her bed and she falls right asleep! I’ve never had to let her cry in bed because the transition was taken step by step.

Make sure baby is comfortable. We keep room darkening curtains on her windows to keep her room cool and dark so she sleeps better. Then we have a sound machine to block out the sound and give her some relaxing sounds to soothe her to sleep.

We also make sure she is dressed in clothes that keep her warm since she’s still too young to sleep under blankets. So her jammies cover her feet to keep her comfortable through the night. We also use Huggies OverNites Diapers to keep her dry through the night. With trusted all night protection, Huggies OverNites Diapers are the #1 selling Nighttime diaper and Huggies’ most absorbent diaper to help keep baby’s skin comfortable and dry for a deep sleep and happy day. This is the perfect diaper to use to help Elyse have a peaceful night sleep. It has all night leakage protection lasting up to twelve hours. My kids move around a lot at night and Huggies OverNites have a SnugFit waistband that keeps the diaper in place throughout the night for maximum protection no matter how often baby moves around. We also make sure to keep Huggies Natural Care Wipes on hand since they are gentle on baby’s skin, yet thick enough to clean the mess. They are perfect after a night of rest!

We found Huggies OverNites diapers at our local Wal-Mart and they have really been the perfect night time diaper. Use this coupon to pick up a box for yourself and start helping your little one sleep better!

Establishing a routine that helps your baby sleep doesn’t have to be stressful and you really don’t have to live without getting a peaceful night’s sleep. Your baby needs sleep just as much as you do, so these simple things are a great way to help teach and encourage your baby to sleep so everyone can sleep!

What things have you done to help your infant sleep at night? What do you include in your bedtime routine?