The bedtime routine

There are rituals for sleeping and for waking up. Through the consistent performance of rituals, the baby understands what will happen next and feels relaxed and safe.

Rituals should be introduced after three months of age. It makes no sense to do it earlier, since the baby does not yet produce melatonin and sleeps superficially and chaotically.

It is extremely important, especially at the time of establishing a regime and learning to fall asleep independently, to perform all the rituals every day in the same sequence, without changing places and at the same time (+- 15 minutes).

The rituals you choose should please and soothe your baby. Experiment and look for rituals that suit your child best.

Options for awakening rituals:

• Open the curtains or open the blinds.
• Turn on the light.
• Kiss.
• Wish a good morning and begin a slow, quiet conversation, tell the child about the plans.
• Offer water.
• Tell a nursery rhyme or play a short finger game.

Variants of rituals for sleep:

For babies up to 1 year old:

• bathing (if not invigorating for the baby);
• massage (if not invigorating for the baby)
• stroking;
• changing clothes;
• lullaby;
• poetry;
• walking around the room and carrying the baby in the arms
• a bedtime kiss from mom, dad and other family members;
• Night sky projector;
• white noise;
• blessing goodnight and moving to bed is the last ritual, followed only by sleep and nothing else.

For older children (12 months +):

• bathing (if not invigorating for the baby);
• massage or gymnastics (if not invigorating for the baby)
• stroking;
• changing clothes;
• lullaby;
• poetry;
• walking around the room and carrying the baby in the arms
• a bedtime kiss from mom, dad, siblings;
• Night sky projector;
• white noise;
• collecting toys;
• putting your favorite toy to bed;
• stories;
• discussing plans for tomorrow
• Saying goodnight and going to bed is the last ritual, followed only by sleep and nothing else;

Mistakes

• Choosing rituals that the child does not like. Causes crying and agitates.
• Inappropriate rituals as sleep associations (rocking, sucking, sleeping in motion, co-sleeping, touching).
• Inconsistency in rituals (one day some rituals, another day others, or rearranging rituals in places).
• Rituals performed at different times.
• Rituals are performed in a quiet environment and with dim light.
• The crib should only be associated with sleep.
• After changing into the crib, there should be no other rituals. The changeover is the last signal that it's time to go to sleep.

References

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002392.htm
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/children-and-sleep/bedtime-routine
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/when-do-babies-sleep-through-night
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep
Мадлен Дени  — "Сон вашего ребенка (сборник)". Издательство: Клевер-Медиа-Групп. ISBN: 978-5-91982-202-8. Год издания: 2013. Язык: Русский. 192 стр.
Марк Вайсблут — "Здоровый сон – счастливый ребенок". Издательство: Альпина нон-фикшн. ISBN: 978-5-9614-3583-2. Год выпуска: 2014. Язык: Русский. 640 стр.

All recommendations, articles and other content of the baby sleep diary app are intended for physically and mentally healthy children without developmental disabilities and are for information purposes only. Always follow your doctor's recommendations and prescriptions. If your child is experiencing sleep problems, reflecting the presence of any disease, most often neurological, you should contact your doctor.