Building a bedtime routine

Consistency beats complexity. The same 3–4 steps in the same order every night is what does the work — the specific ingredients matter far less than the repetition. A predictable sequence lowers cortisol and cues the body toward sleep. Bath, feed, book, song, bed works for most families. Some skip bath (daily bathing dries newborn skin) and swap in a calm cuddle. Keep the entire routine under 30–45 minutes so it doesn't push bedtime steadily later. Start the routine before your baby is overtired. Watch for the first yawn or eye rub — that's the beginning of the sleep window, not the end. Overtired babies fight sleep harder than under-tired ones, so leaning slightly early is almost always better than late.