It’s no secret- my babies don’t believe in sleep. Since my first baby was born I’ve turned into a closet-co-sleeper. This means that I’m in survival mode and will allow my kids to sleep in my bed just so I get some extra hours of shut eye. As you can imagine, with three kids we can be up all hours of the night as each intermittently wakes for bathroom, snuggles, or water. With all this, I’m still happy with our decision to not go ahead with the cry it out method and stick with a more predictable bedtime routine.
Our routine starts off with dinner. Immediately after dinner it is bath time, followed by a snack, and then it’s quiet time. This is usually where my oldest reads to her little sister and my little guy gets a massage before bed. My girls will then go off to their room while I nurse the baby to sleep. It seems easy and methodical, but the truth is it can sometimes be chaotic when just one child isn’t ready to sleep and has a little extra energy.
Sleep is so important for cognitive, physical and emotional well-being. To better understand the importance of sleep, JOHNSON’S® has
- Studied more than 45,000 babies’ sleep
- Observed more than 300,000 sleep sessions
- Authored more than 100 pieces of scientific content
- Collaborated with more than 30 experts, including sleep specialists and pediatricians across the globe
Through this research they were able to shed light on what works best for getting baby to peacefully drift off to sleep. They found that 80% of babies exposed to white noise fell asleep, as opposed to 25% who were not exposed to white noise. Along with other factors for better sleep in infants, Johnson’s came up with their 3-step bedtime routine:
- Step 1 – Warm bath
- Step 2 – Gentle Massage
- Step 3 – Quiet Time
Did you know there was a JOHNSON’S® BEDTIME® baby sleep app? Yes, there IS an app for baby sleep and you can find it for your device. The app can enlighten parents on the science behind sleep and provide advice on sleep solutions for baby. The app even features an interactive 1-week challenge and features the Tonight We Sleep™ Lullaby for baby. Check it out at the App Store.
Sounds like a very good way to make sure baby sleeps. I like that bedtime routine and nice to know that Johnson has a bedtime app to help with getting baby to sleep.
This sounds very similar to what we do at our house. The kids are immediately asking for snack after supper. But we wait a little and then snack and bath.
My niece has colic and has a hard time getting to sleep. I will have to tell my brother about these steps.
Oh I have to check into that app from Johnson’s! I really think the nice warm baths really help before bed time.
Baths work wonders, when my niece is fighting her sleep we always give her a little bath playtime, and it usually makes her sleep so good.
As a mommy of six kids (now adults) and a grandmother of eight, I believe that children need routine in bedtime rituals. The calmer the household is at night, the better they will sleep. We never allowed TV on past a certain time. Quiet time is essential..which means no phone calls and computers either! Just baths and books and quiet and everyone goes to bed. If children see adults being active or excited, they won’t sleep.
This is such an informative article. I will be sharing this with family & friends. I can relate a lot on this post when my daughter is very young.
This is great information. It all seems common sense, but it is good to have a study to see in reality what works best! Nice to know about the app, too.