The Same Thing Happens Every Night

I do have a little more advice for the mom's of newborns and any other children floating around the house.  Having a routine will calm your household.  When our babies were little, we did the same thing every night at the same time.  Work this around your timetable.  My husband used to get up every day at 5:00 am, so we started our night time ritual at 7:00 pm, but adjust yours accordingly.  The routine takes about an hour, maybe more if you have more than one, but one hour is a pretty good timeline.

We called it: Bath, Bottle, Bed.  In just that order.  First bath, then the bottle, then bed.  Simple, but wonderful.... after the first few nights.  The first few nights can be challenging.  Any new routine requires the patience to stick with it until you see results.  Once you and your baby get the hang of of night time routine, it is better for everyone.

And guess what?  You should put your happy baby down in the crib while they are still a little awake.  They learn to wiggle themselves to sleep.  I promise that you will not injure their little feelings by doing this.  Putting them in the crib while they are a little awake will not put them into therapy, trust me.  Letting a little baby wiggle around and learn to comfort themselves at bedtime is a great habit for them to master.  They will master it, trust me, I promise.

Don't get me wrong.  There is nothing better than having a little baby asleep on your chest.  That is a grace moment for moms.   I let my babies sleep on me during the day, it is a great and special bonding time for moms and babies.  I never did it at night though.  I felt it really interfered with the night time routine, so that was a daytime activity only.

Try a routine, make up your own, but babies love routine, it calms them down.  Be flexible for sick babies or teething babies, but for the most part, stick to your routine, you will both be happier for it.

Just one more sweet spot for moms to find comfort in.  God bless.