6 Tips for Getting Your Baby on a Sleep Schedule

1. Watch for signs that your baby is tired. Your baby will have clues to tell you when he or she is tired, so pay attention and put him or her to sleep as soon as you see these signs. If you wait too long and the baby is overtired, he or she will have a tough time falling and staying asleep.

2. Teach your baby the difference between day and night. During the day, keep their room bright, whether it be with natural or artificial light and play with them when they wake up from their naps. At night, keep the lights off in the nursery and don’t play with the baby when he or she wakes up.

3. Try to let your baby fall asleep on his or her own. Don’t rock or sway with the baby. Instead, lay them down in the crib and see if he or she will fall asleep without your help. If you rock them to go to sleep, babies will expect to be rocked to sleep all the time.

4. Have a bedtime routine. Chances are you have a routine before going to bed, so your baby should to. Whether it be singing him or her the same song every night or doing everything in the same order, establish something that he or she can get used to that will signal that it’s time to go to sleep.

5.When your baby is a little older set a schedule for naptime and bedtime. This will get your baby’s body used to sleeping at certain times.

6. Also, as your baby gets older, try to wake him or her at the same time every morning. He or she may wake up on his or her own at the same time anyway, but on mornings when this doesn’t happen, don’t be afraid to gently wake him or her up to keep the same schedule.