If you are a parent, then you have been there. First you experience the euphoria of giving birth to that beautiful infant. The first few weeks are spent in a happy state of bliss, as you and your new little one get to know one another. The weeks go by, exhaustion kicks in, and one day you realize that if you don’t get more than a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep soon, you may need more than a strong dose of morning coffee to survive your days. It is time to teach that adorable baby some good sleep habits!

The earlier you teach your little one some good sleeping habits, the better and more pleasant it will be for both of you. Keep in mind that this does not mean that your infant should be sleeping eight hours a night within his first two or three weeks of life. On the contrary! Growing babes need to eat more often than that, at least for the first two months of life. However, it is never too early to instill some good routines that will help to lull your little one to slumber, even if it must be done more than once a night at the beginning.

The vision of that precious bundle drifting off to dreamland in your arms is a beautiful picture indeed. However, it becomes less attractive when your baby gets older, bigger and heavier. It is kinder by far to let that infant go to sleep by himself from the early days of life whenever possible. This does not mean that you cannot spend plenty of quality time and cuddles before bedtime.

Actually, a consistent bedtime ritual will help your little one understand that night-night time is drawing near, so that his body can begin to prepare for the slumber ahead. This routine can include a bath, a feeding, and most definitely a bedtime story! Even the tiniest ones will enjoy listening to Mommy or Daddy’s voice read “Goodnight Moon”. Once your infant is drowsy, lay him gently in his crib and let the snoozes overtake him there.

This wonderful bedtime ritual can begin in the early weeks of your baby’s life. For us, it generally began towards the end of the first month. We would begin the nighttime routine of a feeding and a story, and all of our little ones would drift to sleep fairly quickly and peacefully. Here’s an important tip: your baby may begin to experience some separation anxiety by the sixth to eighth month of life.

If you don’t have a good sleep routine in place by this point, you may have the beginnings of a sleep problem. This means that your almost toddler may not be able to go to sleep on his own easily, leading to the potential for many tears and lots of sleep deprivation in your home. A good rule of thumb is to get your baby sleeping on his own by the time he is about four months of age, if you want to avoid a bigger nighttime dilemma in the future.
Good nighttime sleep habits will lead to a well rested, happier household overall. Nighty night, baby!

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