– Darkroom – Too dark to be able to read. Blackout dark for those light or resistant sleepers.

– Sound machine – Chose a constant setting like white noise. Place it away from baby’s head and loud enough to block outside noises.

– Clear crib/sleep area – Safe, nondistracting setting. Especially for littles 3+ months, anything that might be interesting to them could cause them to become alert in-between sleep cycles instead of resettling into a second cycle.

– 68-72 degrees – If your little’s head is sweating it’s too hot, if their nose or hands are cold it’s too cold.

– Incorporate a short routine you can do before each nap and bedtime to help baby learn that sleep is coming. An example of a routine would be: take baby into the room, change diaper, draw curtains, turn on sound machine, rock/hold/snuggle and sing a song, lay baby down awake. Most importantly, create sustainable habits for your baby (and you!)

– Build into your routine positive sleep associations (darkness, sound machine, sleep sack, a special song, massage/oils, a special phrase, etc.) that will help baby know what to expect. Many sleep association can go where baby goes which helps with traveling and naps on the go.

– Babies can learn how to self-soothe when they are given a chance. It can be a learning curve but you can be there to help guide them as they learn this new skill without doing it entirely for them. Protesting or fussing is to be expected, especially the older and more aware your little gets. If you desire to minimize crying, identifying small changes in between the old behavior (i.e. nursing to sleep) and the desired behavior (i.e. self-soothing) is recommended. Making one little change at a time might allow you to avoid tears. (Temperament will play a BIG role here.)

– If you enjoy snuggling your little to sleep BUT also want to begin helping them learn to self-sooth, try placing them down drowsy but awake the majority of the time and using the last small “cat nap” of the day as your cheat/anything goes nap.

– Aim to feed your baby full meals so their tummy will be full for nighttime and naps.

– Your little will have to most energy to eat directly following a nap.

– Make sure you are using a faster flow nipple as your baby becomes more efficient with bottle-feeding.

– You cannot wean baby off night feedings until you know they are getting enough calories during the day to sustain them. The amount baby needs to get through the night without a meal can vary depending on the weight of the baby, and how much baby is able to eat at each meal and how often throughout the day.

– Try to stick with feeding every 3hrs during the day until your little is going through the night 12hrs without a meal before moving feedings to every 4hrs. If your baby reaches this milestone, and you are having to wake your baby up at the 3hr mark to feed and/or your baby seems disinterested in eating at the 3hr mark, that can be a sign to space feedings every 4hrs. When this happens, baby will drop a feeding and a nap, so he/she will take one long morning nap, one long afternoon nap, and a late afternoon catnap (which most babies drop around 7-9mo) 🙂

– Morning naps are an extension of your littles night sleep. Prioritize these over all other naps when possible.

– Your little’s wake time will depend on age, but a sleep, eat, play routine works throughout the first year.

-Try to avoid overtiring your baby with too much awake time. Overtired babies have a much harder time falling and staying asleep.

– Watch for sleep cues – many babies will yawn once and that is a good time to start your nap routine. If baby is crying they are likely overtried. Red eyebrows and far-off stares are also common signs.

– If your little takes a while to go down for naps and wakes up fussy, extend the wake time.

– If your little takes short naps and wakes up fussy, shorten the wake time.

– Avoid overstimulation especially with babies who like a lot of action. These fun-loving littles typically need the most help from routines and structure.

– You can’t spoil a baby. When it comes to littles younger than 4-month-old, error on the side on responsive and don’t stress too much about a “right” way when it comes to sleep. You can begin incorporating healthy sleep habits at any age, but hold off on more defined sleep training methods until their brain is more developed.

– Some littles need a strict nap/sleep schedule, some thrive with a flexible routine. What’s going to work best for you and your little can only be identified through trial and error.

– While respecting your littles needs and wants are important, equally as important is factoring you into the equation. It’s ok to change the schedule, get help, or seek support. The plan needs to work for everybody.