DO NOT let your baby get used to being rocked, played to sleep or any other habit-forming activities. Once the baby gets used to such, they will expect it to be part of the bedtime routine, and could leave the baby over-excited at bedtime, and forcing the baby to sleep 2-3 hours later than the usual bedtime.
DO NOT disturb the baby’s relaxed bedtime. Prevent watching tv an hour before bedtime, or playing anything loud to ruin the mood. Lowering the baby monitor’s volume helps too.
DO NOT encourage sugary snacks or beverages an hour before bedtime. This might make the baby EVEN more active than you’d like bedtime to be. It also might ruin sleep, if the baby needs to go during the night.
DO NOT let the baby’s bed become the place of punishment. That sort of thing will anchor itself into the baby’s memory --- and may prevent him from enjoying a night’s rest there.
DO NOT rush the bedtime routine. For optimum effect and consistency, go through all the steps you normally take to get baby to sleep EVERY night.
If you’d like some ideas on proper bedtime routines, try checking out Baby Bedtime Center’s Bedtime Routine ideas --- it really has everything in terms of getting baby bedtime right. Good luck mommies! If you have any more DON’TS or maybe some DO’S for getting the perfect baby bedtime, leave it in the comments!
