50 Brilliant ‘Child Hacks’ For Babysitters, Parents, Teachers, And Nurses 

29. Sleep routines are a LIFESAVER. I don’t know where I saw it, but months before I fell pregnant with my first, I watched an interview where someone talked about how a sleep routine implemented early made all the difference for them. I’d been nannying for years at that point and all my kiddos were terrible sleepers so I figured I would give it a try since I desperately need both sleep and alone time.

Right from birth I’ve done some form of sleep routine in the evening with my kids even if they weren’t going to sleep through the night (bath, lotion, bottle, then adjusted to accommodate stories and changes as they’ve grown) just to let them know it’s nighttime and quiet time, and they’re all phenomenal sleepers. It’s the one area where we’ve never had any major issues. My other parent friends have adopted their own routines after I’ve shared my success and have had great results with it too.

Kids thrive with routine (usually) and letting their little brains gear down and understand that the time for sleep is coming lets them really settle into it. It’s also handy because, if they need to go to bed early or later, they’re usually not phased because the routine means it’s bedtime whenever it happens.