I partnered with Pampers to share my baby’s bedtime routine. All opinions are my own.
About a month after I had my first child, a friend called and told me that she was in my area and wanted to stop by to see the baby. She asked me if that was okay and of course, I said yes. The thing is, it was already around my daughter’s bedtime and of course she wasn’t fun. She cried and fussed the entire time and since I didn’t want to make my friend upset I didn’t tell her that her timing was just terrible. I felt like a lousy mom in that moment and vouched to never upset my children’s bedtime routine again even if Beyoncé showed up to meet my baby — okay, I’ll make an exception for Beyoncé. I’ve stuck to the bedtime routine that I started 7 years ago with my daughter with lots of tweaks along the way as technology and our family dynamic evolved. So here is my baby’s bedtime routine:
Kick off with a Bath.
Only within the last few weeks, I moved the baby’s bathtime to bedtime. I always gave my babies baths at 11:00 am. Moving her bath to bedtime is much better since the warm water makes her really relaxed.
Treat your baby to an infant massage.
After drying her up and moisturizing her skin, I’ve been treating her to an infant massage. This is also a new addition to our bedtime routine. I recently took the Pampers #SleptLikeThis Sleep Personality quiz and learned that she sleeps like a Koala and massages are great to get Koalas drowsy. I had no idea how to do it so I called my cousin who is a pediatric nurse and she showed me over FaceTime how to do it effectively. She hasn’t fell asleep from one of my massages yet but she definitely seems quiet and happy.
Dress baby for a comfortable night’s rest.
Don’t judge me but my baby doesn’t always sleep in pajamas, it really depends on the temperature. I keep her in light breathable clothing and in Pampers Baby-Dry diapers. Actually, I’ve been using Pampers brand diapers on my kids since day one on this motherhood journey at the hospital 7 years ago, it seems like we always have a big green box around my apartment. I trust Pampers Baby-Dry for bedtime because although she urinates much more frequently at night, we don’t have problems with leaks thanks to the diaper’s design and its Extra Absorb Channels. I don’t ever have to worry about her delicate skin in a wet diaper that would make her feel uncomfortable and wake up. The best part is that even though they can be used for up to 12 hours they’re very thin and not super bulky.
Get some cuddle time.
Next, we have some form of cuddle time. I may read her a book, file her nails, play with her or dance with her. It really depends on the day and the mood we’re both in.
Bedtime feeding.
Once she seems tired or she shows signs that she’s hungry I nurse her. Most nights she falls asleep while I’m nursing her but I absolutely love when she doesn’t and I can lay her down in her crib to fall asleep on her own. To ensure she doesn’t get right back up, I immediately put on her nightlight and noise machine.
Some nights I rush through this routine while on other nights I skip steps and there are days when I stretch them out. It really depends on what’s going on but I think we both enjoy this bedtime.
Be sure to take the Pampers #SleptLikeThis sleep personality quiz to get tips that you can incorporate into your bedtime routine and let me know what animal your baby sleeps like.
What is your baby’s sleep routine?