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Most people think that bedtime routines are a waste of time untill your baby is at least 4 months old. However - I have found that establishing those routines from early on might just be a great investment in your own sleep. Now you show me the parents of a newborn who aren’t craving sleep like a sugar addict is craving his sugar fix and I will most surely back off - but untill then keep reading - you might just find good tips on bedtime routines for your baby.
First of all - let me get this straight -in the first month or so of your baby’s life you can be sure of one thing - NOTHING. You need the time to get to know your little wonder and every happening regarding the baby might seem totally random. What you can be sure of though - if the baby is not having trouble with his health in any way - is that he sleeps and eats quite a bit. And you might as well take advantage of his habits right away and create some kind of routine with him. For example you could nurse him and change his diapers in one routine and tuck him in afterwards. Doing the same routines over and over again teaches him that he can be secure around you - he knows what is going to happen and he will most likely act according to those routines.
My own experience from raising my to sons have shown me that having even better bedtime routines from the age of 2 months have been extremely rewarding. So here is what I do from around the time my baby is 2 months old.
I always make sure to seperate food and sleep to make sure I don’t create a link between the two, as that might become a stipulation later on - more on that topic in another post. After feeding the baby at night I may give him a bath - whether I do so or not I change his diapers, cuddle with him and then take him to the bedroom. I put him down, sit next to the bed and sing him a song. I hold his hand why doing so and after singing I kiss him goodnight and tell him that I am going to leave the room, but will be back if he needs me. I know - he doesn’t understand the words but he will at a later point and then the routine will still be the same. I won’t leave the room unless he is calm and I am not a fan of the concept of letting your baby fall asleep while crying. However - I make sure that I leave the room while he is still awake - that way he won’t be afraid when he wakes up later and find that mom is not there at his bedside.
So - for the first couple of days - it usually takes around 4 or 5 days - he might just cry when you go out of the room. Make sure you count to ten and listen to his cry before going in again - there is a difference - and a fine line - between “I need you” and “I want you” at this point. If he continues to cry beyond whatever you think is reasonable, go ind again  - quietly - no need to panic, he’ll catch up on that right away and think that something is wrong and that will only enhance his crying. Make a schhhh sound so he knows you are there, but no talking unless you feel it’s totally necessary - stay with him untill he is calm and then leave the room again. Again - leave the room while he is still awake. You might have to do this over and over again for a few days but be patient - I promise you it will work. Of course - not all babies are alike and your baby may not adjust to these routines at age 2 months but my experience is that it works with most of them.
And how does that save YOUR sleep you may ask? Well - having those routines will make your baby feel safe and when he wakes up at night he may not need to “call out” for you. Did you know that babies in fact wake up from their sleep (though shortly) every 45 minutes? Babies who feel safe just go back to sleep - kind of when we roll over in our sleep at night.
Happy sleeping.

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