A Bedtime Routine for When Your Baby is Sick
I’m all about having a consistent bedtime and nap time routine. A comforting bedtime routine gives your baby a predictable cue that sleep is coming and helps them drift to sleep easily.
As a Pediatric Physician Assistant, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to get a sick baby comfortable for sleep.
I rarely stray from our bedtime routine. Sometimes I shorten the routine where I can if we are short on time (although my kids rarely fall for this now that they’re 2 and 5, they look forward to all of the steps). Even when we travel, I maintain the same routine. When my kids are sick, we still do the same routine, but I add some extra steps to help them sleep better. Since we are often short on time, I try to be as efficient as possible by combining some illness remedies with my kids’ bedtime routine.
Typically, the bedtime routine for my 2 and 5-year-old goes like this:
Bath a few times a week
Lotion and PJ’s on
Brush teeth
Read books, typically each kid reads individually with a parent if we are both home
Pray, snuggle to songs
Say goodnights
Dad puts our 5-year-old to bed, they listen to a song while he lays in bed
I put our 2-year-old to bed, we snuggle in a rocking chair, listen to a song and talk about her day
Down for bed
We are still doing all of these things when my kids are sick, I just add in comfort measures.
Step 1: Get steam going
I shut the bathroom door and start a hot shower about 5 minutes before their bedtime routine starts.
The goal is to create so much steam that your bathroom mirror fogs. The steam created by the shower will help break up mucus in your baby’s nose. Steam is also a great tool when your baby has croup. You can also use a saline mist inhaler, but a steamy shower is more cost-effective! Once the shower has been running long enough to fog up the bathroom mirror, I bring my kids into the bathroom and we proceed to do as much of our routine as possible in the bathroom.
Step 2: Give honey
Honey is great for coughs and sore throats. For kids ages 1 and up, honey is a better medicine than most over-the-counter cold remedies. Most over-the-counter medications aren’t safe for kids less than 6 years old, and the data is limited on whether they actually work. Most “natural” cough syrups sold over the counter have honey as the main ingredient, and it’s the only ingredient in those medications that is shown to help with cough and sore throat. So save yourself the money and save your babies the additives, just give a teaspoon of honey when your child’s cough and sore throat are bothering them. I like to mix 1 teaspoon of honey with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. It tastes just like lemonade!
Honey should not be given to babies less than a year old, so skip this step if your baby is younger than one.
Step 3: Give medication if needed
The only medication I give my kids when they’re sick is ibuprofen (Motrin), and I only give this if they are uncomfortable from their fever. I like ibuprofen over acetaminophen (Tylenol) because ibuprofen reduces inflammation, works quicker, and lasts longer. My personal preference is to only give ibuprofen if my child is feeling crummy from their fever. A fever is not typically harmful to your child, but sometimes the side effects of that fever can be. Usually, the harm from a fever comes when a child feels crummy enough from their fever that they aren’t drinking fluids and become dehydrated.
Note that ibuprofen should only be given to babies 6 months and older. You should always contact your baby’s healthcare provider if they are 3 months or younger or unvaccinated and they have a fever.
Step 4: Brush teeth
I save this until after honey and medicine are given so the sugar is scrubbed from their teeth!
Step 5: Bath time
I tend to do more baths when my kids are sick. Sitting in the bath with all of the steam we created will help to get out mucus. Plus, when my kids are sick, they tend to be covered in snot by the end of the day, so it’s nice to get that off and start fresh (so they can get snot on themselves again in a minute or two). Baths can also be comforting to a child who has a fever. Their bath water should not be cool, as shivering can make your child comfortable and may actually increase their body temperature.
Turn off the steamy shower, run a warm bath, and let your kiddo drain all of that snot into the tub!
Step 6: Suck out their noses
We haven’t left the bathroom yet! Stay in the bathroom as long as possible.
Once the kids are out of the tub, they tend to have even more mucous coming from their noses. Now that my kids are older, I have them blow their noses when they get out of the tub. For younger toddlers and babies, this is the time when I suck out their boogers. Many people love the Nose Frida, but I just can’t bring myself to do it! I prefer a traditional bulb syringe for sucking out boogers. Do yourself a favor and get one that is easily disassembled for cleaning.
Step 7: Chest Rub
If my kids are coughing, I like to put chest rub on their feet and chest. This should only be used for kids 2 and older. Be sure to use a chest rub that is safe for kids. I prefer to use a chest rub that is free of tea tree oil and lavender, as these essential oils are suspected endocrine disrupters. This is the only chest rub I’ve found that doesn’t contain tea tree oil or lavender.
Step 8: Read a book
Continuing on to our regular routine, we next read a book, and we are still in the bathroom where steam is lingering! Our current favorite book was a gift from a friend, both my 2 and 5-year-old love it! We typically pray while we are in the bathroom as well.
Step 9: Turn on the humidifier
Once book time is over, we finally make our way out of the bathroom (I’m always so happy to get out of the humidity at this point) and into the kid’s bedrooms. I turn on a cool mist humidifier that sits near the bed. This provides moisture in the air that will help with congestion.
Step 10: Have water ready
Typically, my kids don’t take water to bed. They get a “last call” before bed, which includes their last chance to take a drink of water. I find that giving them access to water all night leads to frequent night wakings and bedwetting.
When they are sick, however, a cup of water is always available. For my oldest, it’s on his bedside table whenever he needs it. For my youngest who is still in a crib, it’s kept in the room so I have easy access to it if she needs it in the middle of the night.
Step 11: Snuggle
We can’t skip this step! A snuggle before bedtime is always the last part of our routine.
Step 11: Into bed
Finally! We made it! Whew. Bedtime routine is already exhausting, even more so when your kid is sick! This routine definitely pays off though. I would much rather spend an extra 5-10 minutes on bedtime routine over having trouble getting my sick baby down for bed or having frequent night wakings.
Although this routine may not prevent every single night waking, it can help to lessen them, especially at the beginning of the night. Your baby will easily fall asleep when they’re feeling at their best. If you want to know how to handle night wakings when your baby is sick, I wrote a blog post about it a couple of years ago.
If you need some help with bedtime routine in general, check out my bedtime routine cards (coming soon!) or book a free call to find out what it’s like to work with me.
The above information is not medical advice and is for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician with
any questions you may have regarding the health and welfare of your baby
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