In our communal household, all the kids begin their bedtime routines around 7:30pm. My kids are asleep by 8pm. My sister's? Closer to 9pm. My bedtime routine is fairly brisk: bath, pjs, brush teeth, pee, pick out clothes for next day, two books, water, snuggle, lights out. I have no idea what my sister's routine actually entails to make it last a full hour longer, but I'm pretty sure it involves several books, a Japanese counting lesson, some very off-key songs, and one very demanding almost-3-year-old girl.
But according to a new study, all of our kids are sleeping just fine, thanks to their consistent bedtime routines.
The study, by Dr. Jodi A. Mindell at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, followed the bedtime routines of 405 mothers--about half with kids 7 to 18 months old, half 18 to 36 months old.
The mothers who followed a strict 30-minute bedtime routine that included a bath, massage, and a snuggle, along with other restful activity, had kids who fell asleep faster, woke less often, and slept more regularly. In addition, the toddlers in that group woke in a much better mood.
In fact, so did the mothers.
Parents have long been told that a consistent nightime routine is the key to getting your baby to fall asleep (and stay asleep) on her own; now there's proof that it works.
What's your bedtime routine? Is it quick and dirty, like mine? Or long and slow, like my sister's?
Source: Journal Sleep
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