How To Establish A Nighttime Routine With Your Baby

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FrozenRewards #CollectiveBias

There were times I thought my life was busy – during college, and then again when I was planning my wedding while being in 3 others during the same year. Then I had children, and I now have a whole new definition of the term “busy.” Between working, raising two children at home, trying to have a social and family life – things are just going to be busy for a while and I have accepted that. When my son was born, we quickly learned that he didn’t sleep like a normal newborn. After taking him to the doctor several times those first few months, we tracked that he was sleeping 6 to 7 hours in a 24-hour period. His pediatrician said that babies should be sleeping 18 of those 24 hours at that point. At 4 months of age, the pediatrician told me we needed to start sleep training him and that began with establishing a nighttime routine.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we started doing the exact same things at the exact same time every night to let him get used to his new routine. What we learned was after about two weeks of doing this, he started sleeping better at night. It took a lot of dedication and determination on our part, but it really worked. He started sleeping better – even napping during the day like babies are supposed to. He was less fussy and it made the days and nights not nearly as tiring.

 

Meal time is a big part of my family’s night-time routine. In fact, it is one of my favorite parts of the day because we are all gathered at the table and enjoy a meal together while singing, laughing and hearing about each other’s days. I enjoy cooking, but some days cooking a meal for an hour or two just isn’t doable. So, the other day when I was at Publix, I decided to grab some ConAgra frozen foods to bring home with me. Right now, if you spend $30 on ConAgra frozen foods at Publix, you will receive a $10 Gift Card.

How to get the $10 gift card:

Purchase $30 worth of ConAgra Frozen foods. Brands include: Marie Callender’s®, Healthy Choice®, P.F. Chang’s© and Bertolli©.

Go to the Frozen Rewards Club and register for the program.

Take a photo of and upload your receipt to Frozen Rewards Club to redeem your Publix gift card.

Each household may turn in receipts for their $30 limit up to 5 times.

If you enroll in the Frozen Rewards Club by March 21st, you will be entered to win an additional $200 Publix Gift Card!

I was so excited to hear about this deal because these are easy meals that we love to buy to have on hand when we don’t want to put in the extra time in the kitchen and want to spend more time with the kiddos.

Our night-time routine is simple but effective. It helps my babies to always be able to count on what comes next every day and helps them feel more secure and sleep really well.

Our Nighttime Routine:

Dinner around 6p.m.

Bath time at 7p.m.

Pickup toys and Storytime at 7:30p.m.

Prayers and Bedtime at 8p.m.

Tips for Establishing a Nighttime Routine:

Be consistent. This is the biggest tip because the entire thing rests on whether or not you give in. Staying consistent is everything when trying to establish a routine. Once that routine is set, it is okay to bend every once in a while. I mean holidays, family dinners, occasions with friends, things happen that require the kids to stay up later from time to time, but if you stick to your routine most of the time, it will continue to work for you.

Be firm, but make it fun. Routines are not meant to be dull. They are meant to help your children have a sense of what comes next throughout the day. My kids have always thrived when on a schedule. They do not do well when they have been thrown off. Other kids are different. Not every kid functions best on a schedule and that is fine, too. Make bed time/bath time really fun and special and it will quickly turn into something your children look forward to. I can now say, “Hamp are you ready for your bath?” and he literally cheers most nights. He looks forward to this time of our day. With that being said, depending on your kids age, they may ask you for water or to stay up 20 minutes longer. Stay firm and I promise you, they will be okay.

Stick to the same order of events every night. You don’t have to necessarily go by our bedtime routine listed above. Do what works best for you! If a 9p.m. bedtime works better for you, then go for it! All children are so different and everyone’s schedule is different. I put my kids to bed at 8p.m. because that is the time they are normally tired and ready to go to sleep. If they stay up later than that, they start to grow irritable, so 8p.m. it is! It also allows my husband and me to get stuff done or watch our favorite T.V. shows together.

Do you have a nighttime routine? Don’t forget that if you spend $150 on ConAgra frozen foods at Publix, you can receive $50 back through the Frozen Rewards Program! Be sure to Register by March 21st to be entered to win the additional $200 Publix gift card!