Tips for helping your baby get on a sleep routine

Before your baby is 3 or 4 months old, he or she won't have a regular sleep pattern. You can’t make her sleep at night at this age, other than by gently encouraging her to stay awake during the day and sleep at night. But by 4 or 5 months, most babies start to follow a more normal sleep pattern. This can happen a bit later for babies who were born early.

Still, all babies wake up during the night. Some find their own way of comforting themselves and getting back to sleep. Others need help learning how.

Set your baby up for success

Make it easier to start a sleep routine with these tips.

• Create a bedtime routine.
• Keep the room where she sleeps quiet and dark.
• Put your baby to bed when she’s drowsy, but not yet asleep. This way, she will learn to fall asleep on her own.
• Make nighttime visits boring. Feed your baby if he is hungry, but not if he is looking for comfort. Change his diaper if it is soiled or very wet. Otherwise, don't interact much.
• Make sure to tell all caregivers about any new sleep routines.