Establishing a Calming Bedtime Routine for Your Baby or Toddler

If you are looking to create a relaxing bedtime routine for your baby or toddler, check out my tips from this shop that has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. This post is sponsored by Huggies OverNites. All opinions are mine alone. #EveryoneSleeps #CollectiveBias

Anyone who has ever taken care of babies or toddlers knows that sleep can be challenging. While we long for hours of uninterrupted sleep, our babies and toddlers often have other ideas! One thing I have learned with my third child is that having a bed time routine can actually work in your favor.

When you’re exhausted and strung out from lack of sleep, a bed time routine can seem like the last thing you want to think about, but you know what? It works! Children are creatures of habit and they LOVE knowing what comes next. If you can get them accustomed to a routine followed by sleep, you will often be rewarded with a brief respite of sleep!

So what are the important elements of a calming and relaxing bedtime routine? Here they are:

• Start early! The meaning of this piece of advice is two-fold 1) Establish your bedtime routine with baby as soon as you can. The longer you wait, the harder it is to change it up (I know this from personal experience!) and 2) it can take babies and toddlers a while to wind down before bed. Leave plenty of time for relaxing before bed– the last thing you (and baby!) want is a rushed and stressful bedtime!
• Keep the lights low before bedtime. Lowering the lights helps signal for your baby and toddler that it’s night-time and time for sleep. Babies have circadian rhythms just like we do, and lower light is a signal to the body that it’s time for bed.
• Take a bath before bed. Who doesn’t love a nice warm bath before bed? Taking a bath is relaxing, and it will help get your baby or toddler in the right frame of mind for sleep. If you want, you can also try using a baby soap that is scented with the relaxing aroma of lavender.
• Read a bedtime book. We have a great selection of bedtime and getting ready for bed books. Since we all know how important it is to read to your baby regularly, why not read AND get baby in the mood for a peaceful night’s sleep?
• Play soothing music or use a sound machine. Music can be a great cue for your baby/toddler to wind down and prepare for sleep. With our kids, we listen to a streaming lullaby channel or put our noise machine on for ocean sounds. It’s soothing to me to listen to the sound of waves crashing, and I’m sure it is for my toddler too!

One of the things that used to annoy me the most about trying to sleep through the night was being woken up by a poor baby or toddler who had wet through their diaper and needed not only a diaper change, but a whole clothing change. Huggie OverNites diapers have saved me from many midnight changes, providing leakage protection for up to 12 hours! Bonus: William loves the sleepy Winnie the Pooh on the diapers!

Coupled with the Huggies Natural Care wipes (99% water) which feature Triple Clean Layers that are gentle enough for baby, but get the job done, we are ready to bring on bed time!

Visit this page to get $2 off your first pack of Huggies OverNites (for a limited time) and to find other Huggies offers!