The 4 B’s of Bedtime

Having a consistent bedtime routine is one of the most important components in getting your baby to sleep through the night. By repeating the same actions in the same sequence every night, you are helping baby connect the events leading to bedtime, helping to remove the anxiety and uncertainty surrounding nighttime.

The version that I have seen the most success with, both as a mother and a sleep consultant, is the 4 B’s: Bath, Bottle, Book, and Bed. Bottle can also mean Breast, depending on your method of feeding. This is a 3 step process which you can tailor to suit your family’s needs. A bedtime routine should be about 30 minutes long as baby needs time to power down to sleep and a rushed, 10 minute routine doesn’t cut it.

The first step is bath time. Bath time is a wonderful way to start off your routine as it is so different from anything else that happens for baby throughout the day that it is easy to connect it to bedtime. Bath time should be a relaxing experience, so no TV, keep lights dim, and minimize things that can push baby into overstimulation like visitors. Creating a calming bath time soundtrack is also a fun way to introduce baby to music. Finishing bath time with a warm towel is a relaxing ending.

The second step is Bottle and Book, which are done simultaneously. If you make a hungry baby try to sit through story time on an empty stomach, you will have a meltdown on your hands and if you feed baby first, they will probably doze off while you are reading which breaks a cardinal sleep training rule: always put baby to bed awake.

The third step is to say goodnight, give baby a kiss, and put them into their bed.

By Hannah Mira, Founder of Bonsoir Bebe Sleep Consulting