Importance of Consistent Bedtime for Babies

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Do babies need a consistent bedtime? YES! Why having a consistent bedtime is vital and the impact of having bedtime vary or be less than ideal. Get tips for finding the right bedtime, why it is important, and some bedtime routine ideas.

Father putting baby to bed in her crib

Having a consistent bedtime is very important to your baby. It is even important for your toddler right up on through your teenagers. In fact, consistent bedtimes are important for adults, also.

If you want a predictable schedule and solid night sleep, be sure you keep your child’s bedtime as consistent as possible. The -wise books recommend you strive for at least 5 of 7 days in a week to have the same bedtime for your child.

When it comes to establishing a solid routine for infants, consistency is key! You are setting an internal clock. You want baby’s bedtime to be at the same time as much as possible. You also need that bedtime to be the right bedtime for your baby.

Finding the Right Bedtime

In order for bedtime to work for your baby, you need to find the righting timing for bedtime for your individual child.

For some babies and toddlers, bedtime needs to be very specific. I have heard from readers who say that five minutes too late results in their baby waking up too early in the morning, but when bedtime is at the right time, morning wake up time is also at the right time.

If your child is having difficulty making it to morning wake-up time and you can’t seem to figure out the reason, look into tweaking bedtime and find what is optimal for your child.

A Later Bedtime Does Not Equal Sleeping In

Some people will keep baby up later in the evening in hopes of having their baby sleep in later in the morning. This can work if the time you are keeping baby up until is his optimal bedtime. If, however, you are passing the point of optimal, you are most likely causing him to wake earlier than he otherwise would.

I know it seems counter-intuitive. Keeping baby up late should mean you get to sleep in the next day! But ask any seasoned parent out there and he or she will tell you that nope. Typically the child actually wakes up earlier than usual the next day if bedtime was late.

>>>Read: Baby Waking Shortly After Bedtime: What To Do

Your baby’s body will run off of circadian rhythm, and that will waken your child at the same time each morning even if bedtime was later. If it is affected at all, it is usually just disrupted so that it is harder for the baby to sleep. This can lead to baby struggling to fall asleep and can even lead to night wakings.

The day does come when a child can and will start to sleep in a little later when staying up late, but that really doesn’t happen until age five at the youngest. My oldest didn’t start that until he was an actual teenager!

>>>Read: 6 Steps to Get Your Child to Sleep In Later in the Morning

Baby sleeping

Bedtime Guidelines

There are some general guidelines you can follow for finding your kiddo’s perfect bedtime.

The right bedtime will change from age to age. Newborns need more sleep than a 12 month old. For younger babies, it is good to aim for a bedtime 12 hours before your morning wake up time. Some newborns might need that to be even longer.

Once your baby is 4 months old, the range can be 10-12 hours before your morning wake up time depending on sleep needs. Bedtime needs to be based on how many hours of sleep your baby needs at night.

There is a lot to finding that perfect bedtime. I have a post with help for newborns through teens. Read it here: Tips for Finding Your Child’s Ideal Bedtime

You also need to figure out how flexible your baby is. Some babies can have a bedtime “window”, meaning they are okay so long as bedtime is in a 30 minute window of time. For example, you might say bedtime is 7 PM, but your window is 7-7:30 PM.

As I said, some babies need bedtime at the same time within a 5 minute window. Most babies are not that particular. You need to find what is best for your individual child.

For my children, bedtime has never needed to be exact to a minute as some readers have found, but they do not sleep any better if they have a later bedtime than they should. I remember one night when we were at the Emergency Room with Kaitlyn a few months before she turned two (see In Action: Real Benefits of Babywise), we did not get home until 11:30 PM. This was four hours past her bedtime. The next morning, she did not sleep in an extra four hours. She slept in an extra 30-45 minutes, but that was it. She did take a longer nap than usual the next day, but again, not four hours extra.

I found the same to be true with Brayden. With him, often a too late of a bedtime would result in waking earlier than usual. As he got older, he might sleep in a bit extra, but not enough to make up the lost time.

Take note that just because your child will wake at about the same time each morning even if bedtime is late doesn’t mean he will sleep until the same time if bedtime is early. He should be pretty close, but he might wake earlier. With my kids, they would basically wake up after their current perfect nighttime sleep length.

Consistent Bedtime Routine

A very important part of a bedtime is to have a consistent routine at bedtime. Sleep routines are vital to good sleep schedules.

You want the routine to be calming. A good baby bedtime routine will signal and cue your baby that it is time to relax and go to sleep for the night.

This routine can be very similar to your nap time routine. It can even be the exact same. Many parents have an extended bedtime routine that is longer than their nap time routine.

>>>Read: Perfecting Your Babywise Bedtime Routine

Here are some things to consider adding to your bedtime routine. You do not need ALL elements:

  • Diaper change
  • Change into pajamas
  • Warm bath
  • Read a book
  • Lullaby
  • Massage
  • Swaddle
  • Kiss goodnight
  • Turn on white noise
  • Put in the crib

Conclusion

Don’t underestimate the need for a consistent bedtime for your baby or child. Don’t overlook the importance of finding the right bedtime for your child. Bedtime is important to your day, just as are the other elements of your day. A consistent bedtime is super important as you reach for your sleeping through the night goals.

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This post first appeared on this blog in February 2009