7 Month Old Bedtime Routine

As I sat down to write this post I couldn’t believe how many small changes we’ve made to Oliver’s bedtime routine in just 7 months, yet how nothing huge had changed since we brought him home from the hospital. Although it may have been tough creating a routine with a newborn, I’m so glad we stuck with it. I truly believe it’s what’s given us success with his sleep over the last seven months. I feel very grateful that I get to be so present in his life and that I get to do this routine with him every night. Here’s a look at Oliver’s bedtime routine at 7 months, safe bath time products, and some favorite books too.

Bathtime BABY essentials

Rob is the king of bath time. He gets Oliver’s bath all prepped while I’m reading a book with him or getting in some extra playtime (usually music related, with his little piano these days). It’s so cute how Rob lays everything out and it makes me smile each time I bring Oliver in the kitchen. Yes, we’re still bathing Oliver in our farmhouse sink in the kitchen, but we’ll be transitioning soon…probably this week to the big tub in our bathroom. I’ve had my eye on this bath mat for the big tub, but his baby tub that we’ve used since birth served us well for more than half the year.

Anyway, Rob sets up the bath and gets the temperature just right with this rubber ducky bath thermometer we found. It’s great to get the water temperature safe and warm for baby, plus over the last month or so Oliver has loved seeing the duck in the tub with him. We named her Daphney the duck and made up a fun little song for bath time all about Oliver and Daphney too. It’s been a hit around here!

Safe Baby Soap + Shampoo Products

For soap/shampoo we’re big fans of Wiley Baby. It is the most gentle formula we have found for Oliver. Their mantra of “do more with less” really resonated with us, as we researched products with the most simple ingredients. Plus, their products are made with all ingredients that are rated low on the EWG Skin Deep Database. If you read my pregnancy/natural makeup and skincare blog entries, you’re probably very familiar with EWG and know how closely we follow the app to find safe products. Bath time can’t be complete without these super soft washcloths, and a whimsical animal towel or our favorite Turkish Oddbird towel for drying off. This cute whale pitcher is great for rinsing Oliver’s hair as well.

Bathtime favorites below:

Diaper, PJs, Lotion/Baby Body Oil

After Oliver’s bath, we do the usual diapering, give him a little massage on his legs and hands, and then get on his pajamas. We had this routine since he was just a few weeks old (a lot of people thought I was crazy), but it has really helped him calm down for bedtime. Also, I think this is why we’ve had some great success with putting him to bed when we’re spending the night somewhere else. He knows the routine. Some nights we’re all pretty pooped by this hour, but I think taking the extra few minutes to help Oliver relax with some lotion or baby oil really makes all the difference. Again, Wiley Baby makes an awesome Everywhere Oil that you could even use on your little one’s scalp if they have cradle cap.

Evening Bottle

Oliver eats dinner with us at the table every night. We do this for each meal and we’ve been very intentional about eating together since introducing solids to him around 5 and half months. Eating will be a whole other post, but we feel like mealtime is an important time as a family and will only become more important as he gets older, starts going to school, etc. So after bath time, we give him his last bottle of the day in the living room. (We shot these photos during the day, but we make sure we keep the room bright and if the sun is down, we keep the lights on.) We try to be really consistent with the hour, so that he knows all of these things are getting him ready for bed. This is also his largest bottle of the day.

Book / Storytime

During the day, he loves short board books with babies’ faces. This is one of his favorites and the Empowerment Series is super cute and educational too! At night we can dive into some more lengthy books with him after his bottle. Some favorites these days are: The Wonderful Things You Will Be, Tiny Perfect Things, The Rabbit Listened, and Be Kind. **I created a list of our favorite books HERE so they’re all in one place.

Sleep Sack + Lights Out

We transitioned Oliver to the crib at the end of November (at 5 months old) and he’s been sleeping in his own his room ever since. We bought this sleep sack, which we joke is his squirrel suit, (click the link to see what we mean — ha!). We started him in it during naps in the crib before moving him to his room for nights. It’s worked out great, isn’t too heavy and gives him a lot of mobility.

After story time, we say good night to “dada” and head to his room. We make sure his sound machine is on before going in the nursery. I give him a kiss on his cheek, tell him it’s time for bed now and that I love him. I’m never in there for longer than five minutes. I just hold him while he gets calm and then place him in the crib awake. Then I say good night and close his door. I watch on the monitor and he usually rolls onto his belly instantly and falls asleep pretty fast.

The whole routine starts around 6:30pm and he’s in bed no later than 7:30pm. We’ve noticed he has a better night when in bed closer to 7:00pm. Then Rob and I have some us time: tv, read a book, chat about the day, and snack in bed before passing out. 😉

*Read Oliver’s 6 + 7 Month Update HERE.
*More baby posts HERE.