The number one reason why a baby wakes up multiple times a night is because of what’s happening at bedtime.
The first place we need to look is the bedtime routine. A bedtime routine is really important for our children. It acts a cueing system to the body and the brain that it’s time to transition from daytime to nighttime.
Almost all of us have a bedtime routine. Maybe you brush your teeth, wash your face, put your pajamas on, then climb into bed. It helps you relax, and it cues your body and brain that it’s time for sleep now.
So, bedtime routines are important, but what we do in our child’s bedtime routine affects how well they’re going to fall asleep and stay asleep.
I recommend that your child’s bedtime routine be between 20 and 30 minutes. If it’s longer than 30 minutes, there are too many steps involved and your little one will likely have a hard time remembering what comes next. Plus, there’s a good chance they’ll be overtired by the end of the routine (which makes it more difficult for your little one to fall asleep). On the other hand, if the bedtime routine is less than 20 minutes, your child may not have had enough time to settle down and get ready for sleep. So, 20 to 30 minutes is sort of a perfect window for a bedtime routine.
Your baby’s bedtime routine may look something like this:
- Bath
- Pajamas
- Story
- Breastfeed/Bottle
- Into Crib
When you’ve got a baby, it makes sense to feed them right before you lay them in the crib, right? I mean, you want to fill their little tummy up at the last possible second in hopes that they’ll sleep for a longer stretch of time. It makes sense, right?
In theory, yes.
But in reality, the #1 bedtime mistake that most parents make is that they feed their baby until they’re asleep and then they transfer them into the crib. The problem here is that now your baby is reliant on the feed to get them to sleep. The feed becomes a “sleep prop”.
If a baby’s dependent on a sleep prop in order to fall asleep, then every time they have a naturally occurring wake-up in the night (as we all do) they’re likely going to cry out for you to come back in and help them get back to sleep again, typically with another feed. After all, that’s the only way they know how to fall asleep.
My advice is to keep your baby awake through the entire feed and lay them in the crib awake. Laying your baby in their crib awake and helping them develop their own skills for falling asleep is the key to getting them sleeping through the night.
You may be wondering, “Once I lay my baby in the crib awake, then what do I do?” That’s precisely what I work on with families in my personalized sleep packages.
When we partner together, you get a customized sleep plan suited specifically for your family as well as my personal one-on-one coaching and support as you implement the plan. What all of this means for you and your family is that you’ll go from being exhausted and frustrated with your little one’s sleep struggles to well-rested and restored. You’ll get sleep for your entire family, sanity for your entire family, and the health that your family deserves. You’ll get your life back.
Ready to get your family the sleep they need and deserve? Let’s chat. Book a complimentary 15-minute call with me.