4 examples of a nice bedtime ritual for your baby

Helping your baby fall asleep can be a challenge. A loving bedtime ritual can help with this. It not only helps soothe your baby and prepares them for deep sleep, but also creates precious moments of connection between you and your little one. Discover four examples of bedtime rituals in this article and be inspired to develop your own unique bedtime ritual.

Every baby is different, so there is no one perfect ritual for everyone. With four children, I have the necessary experience in creating a bedtime ritual that suits my lifestyle and the child. Believe me, it wasn't the same for every baby. In addition to my own experiences, I spoke with several parents about their bedtime rituals and asked the Fedde&Kees community for input. We have summarized all these experiences in 4 examples of a nice bedtime ritual for your baby. Tip: experiment with this to discover which ritual suits your baby best!

The components of a bedtime ritual

A bedtime ritual usually consists of various parts that contribute to a relaxed transition to sleep. These components can be found in almost every bedtime ritual:

• To stimulate: start half an hour before bedtime by reducing stimuli and creating a calm environment for your baby.
• To feed: breastfeeding or a bottle in a comfortable chair.
• Cuddle: quality time with your baby, free from distractions and screens!
• In Bath* (optional): a relaxing bath to prepare your baby for the night.
• Changing: put on a clean diaper and a nice sleeping bag or pajamas.
• Put to bed: gently put your baby to bed. Tip! Tuck your baby in nice and tight with it NUNKI sheet. The sheet provides a safe feeling, allowing your baby to relax better and fall asleep more easily.

*Your baby certainly does not need to take a bath every day, because then his skin becomes dry quickly. One to three times a week is actually sufficient. Instead of taking a bath for relaxation, you can also just cuddle together.

Four good examples of bedtime rituals

Start creating a calm atmosphere every evening to prepare your baby for a good night's sleep. It doesn't really matter in which order you do all the actions afterwards. The most important thing is that you always do everything in the same order, so that your baby will recognize the ritual. Here are four examples of bedtime rituals you can try:

Example 1: Reading the story
When night falls, it's time to reduce stimuli and start cuddling time. Start with a clean diaper and gently put your baby to bed. While your little one relaxes, take a moment to read softly from a short story. Sometimes your baby will even fall asleep before the story ends!

Example 2: The magical melody
Music is central to this ritual. Make the environment quiet, give your baby some nutrition, sometimes supplemented with a relaxing bath. Once your baby is in bed, sing or hum a lullaby to gently lull him to sleep. If you choose the same tune every time, your baby will recognize the lullaby and will be more likely to surrender to the sleepy feeling.

Example 3: The walk to dreamland
Some babies find relaxation in the fresh air. Take an evening walk and enjoy the fresh air before changing, cuddling and putting your little one to bed. Playing soft music or white noise gives your baby a familiar feeling while he falls asleep peacefully.

Example 4: Massaging makes you sleepy
This ritual also starts with removing stimuli and changing the diaper. You can then gently massage your baby with loving touches. After wrapping your little one in a sleeping bag, feed him some food and gently put him to bed. Using the NUNKI sheet can help maintain the soothing feeling of the massage. This way you can both enjoy a peaceful night.

Which bedtime ritual suits your baby?

Each ritual has its own charm and can be adapted to the needs of you and your baby. What your bedtime ritual looks like is not even that important, it is mainly about doing all the actions in the same order every time. Your baby will then recognize the ritual and can prepare better for the night.

Love,

Frederieke