Sleep “Routines” For Newborns?
We all have our own ‘wind down’ activities that get our bodies ready for the nightly shut down, but is that a ridiculous concept with a fairly new infant? After all, babies really can’t tell the difference in what their routine is before bed, so why bother to make things consistent, right?
Wrong.
As silly as it might sound, a routine, even if it seems too mature for your baby, is essential to helping them develop sleep cues in their routines.
What is a sleep cue?
A sleep cue is a set item or feeling - white noise in a room, a nightly massage - that creates a recall and associated sensation of relaxation in your infant. Patterned together, these cues start to help sleep overtake your newborn or young baby, and it creates the right conditions for the brain to secrete melatonin, a naturally produced hormone that is essential for drowsiness and settled sleep.
Your newborn’s routine can be fairly simple; a bath, cuddle or infant massage, diaper change and feeding, or it can be more involved, with a story, longer snuggle or song.
Either way, studies and infant behaviorists, such as Dr. Harvey Karp, suggest that consistently introducing a routine to a baby before bed will create recognition of the routine as a precursor to sleep.
Over time, you’ll notice that baby begins to get drowsy and starts to rub their eyes, root, yawn and show signs of readiness for bed before the end of your routine.
Experiment with what feels natural to you, but keep it consistent when you have a few items in place! This will make it easier to help create cues for your baby and make sleep find them - not the other way around!
Need some help creating a routine? Having your postpartum doula or infant care specialist show you some examples can help you find a good timing to start a routine and what items to include!
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