Kids love routine and predictability. It’s good to set a bedtime routine for your kids and try to follow it every day before you go to bed. Kids tend to behave better and have lesser tantrums if they know what to expect next. These simple steps will help your child to have a set routine and a long and comfortable nighttime sleep.
1. Have Dinner As A Family
Spending quality time before sleep time is really essential, make sure you eat together at the same time and discuss your day with your children. Tell them something positive that happened during the day. Also don’t force them to overeat. Keep dinners light. Drink a cup of warm water before you go to bed. Give at least 30 minutes in between dinner time and sleep time.
2. Small Cup Of Warm Milk
My baby loves having milk; we don’t give her a lot of milk but just a small warm cup of milk. Studies show that milk and dairy products have tryptophan, an amino acid that can help promote sleep. You can add little Kesar and dry-fruit powder to the milk to make it flavourful for your child.
3. Bath And Brush Time
A nice warm soak before bedtime tends to relax the mind and the body. Give them time to sit in the tub for a while. Look at their body parts. Allow them to be independent under your supervision. Don’t help unless they ask for it. Let them dress and choose nightwear of their liking.
4. Night Time Massage
To get your baby in a relaxed mode, put some lotion on their body and give them a massage. From playing and running around the whole day, your little one’s limbs tend to feel tired and might even pain at night time. Massage time is also a good time to bond with the baby.
5. Peaceful Time
Keep the nighttime quiet, dim the lights in the house, and don’t give them any noisy stimulating toys. Don’t be in a hurry to put them to bed. Let them take a few minutes to gather themselves. Let them choose a lovey of their choice to go to bed with.
6. Comfy PJs
It’s good to build your baby’s wardrobe in natural materials. Cotton is suited the best for your child’s soft supple skin. Dress them in breathable cotton for nighttime. It’s light, soft, and comfortable and will give your child a warm cozy feeling at night.
7. Bed Time Reading
Bedtime reading with little snuggles and cuddles is my favorite time of the day with my daughter. We encourage her to be independent choose the book she’d like us to read that night. A few of our all-time favorites are- Goodnight Moon, The Going To Bed Book, Snuggle Up Sleepy Ones, Guess How Much I Love You, etc…
8. Soft Music
When my daughter is not in a mood to do some nighttime reading, we play some soothing music on Alexa and let her choose the playlist. We get in the bed and snuggle up while we listen to music.
This is how most of our nights look like, hope you can follow these tips to set a routine for your baby too.
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