Your free guide · Sleep Organics
Same steps, every night, whoever's on bedtime.
This guide is short on purpose. Read the first two parts tonight. Stick the fridge card up tomorrow. Keep the rest for the nights that go sideways.
Part 1 · Tonight
Babies don't know it's night. They learn it from what happens before it: the same things, in the same order, every evening. Your hands-on five comes after the bath or wipe. Keep the whole thing, bath to crib, under 30 minutes.
Not every night needs a bath. A warm washcloth over hands, face and feet works just as well as a signal. Pajamas on, lights still up.
Never leave your baby alone in the bath, even for a moment.
Warm a small scoop between your palms, show your open hands and ask, "Moon time?" Then legs, arms, back. The full map is in Part 2.
Dim the light. Sing your song once. One cuddle, your closing words, then into the crib. If they're old enough, put them down drowsy but awake.
Choose one song that lasts about three minutes. Hum it during the massage and sing it once at lights out. It becomes your timer, and the cue that travels with you to Grandma's. "Twinkle, Twinkle", "You Are My Sunshine", or anything you'll still like singing a year from now.
The same few words every night, said the same way. Short, boring and yours.
"All done. Lights low. I love you. Goodnight."
Part 2 · Step 1 in detail
Use firm, slow, steady pressure. Light strokes can tickle; steady ones soothe. Repeat each stroke about three times, and let your baby set the pace. Hum your song the whole way through.
Warm the cream in your palms, show your open hands and say, "Moon time?" The scent and the question become the start signal.
A still, warm hand on their back for two slow breaths. Say your closing words. On to lights low.
We skip the tummy at bedtime because it often comes right after a feed.
Calm and alert, relaxed body, eye contact, open hands.
Keep going. Repeat the strokes they like.Frowning, yawning, looking away, eyes squeezed shut.
Pause or switch to the feet or back.Crying, hiccups, spitting up, pushing your hand away, arching, stiff arms.
Still hand, then lights low. Try again tomorrow. It isn't personal.Keep the bath or wipe, the song and the cuddle. The cue survives a night off.
Step 2 ends here
Five words to remember, from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Also: stop swaddling at the first sign of rolling, and keep your home and car smoke- and vape-free. Moon Cream goes on before the crib; the jar never goes in it. Talk to your pediatrician about your baby's sleep, and read the AAP's parent guide to safe sleep.
Part 3 · By age
Start the wind-down at the early sleepy cues: slowing down, a blank stare, hands to the face. By the time they're yawning and rubbing their eyes, you're already a little late.
0–3 months
Use the same ritual with warm, dry hands: a minute or two of slow leg strokes, or still "holds". Moon Cream starts at 3 months. Keep days bright and normal, nights dim, quiet and boring. Feeding to sleep is normal now.
Bedtime: not fixed yetAwake time: 45 min to 1 h 45 min by 2 months
3–12 months
Bath or wipe, three minutes of Moon Cream, two minutes of lights low. Aim for a bedtime of 7–8 pm, and go earlier (6–7 pm) after short naps, on sick days or during a regression.
Awake time: 1.5–2.5 h at 3–4 months2–3 h at 5–7 months2.5–3.5 h at 7–10 months3–4 h at 11–14 months
1–3 years
Let them choose which leg goes first, dab cream on their own knee, or pick between two songs. The massage can shrink to "Moon Cream on knees and elbows". Use the picture steps and the moon pass on the fridge card.
Bedtime: 7–8 pm, 4–5 h after the napOne nap from about 13–18 months
| Age | Recommended |
|---|---|
| 4–12 months | 12–16 hours |
| 1–2 years | 11–14 hours |
| 3–5 years | 10–13 hours |
Sleep totals are the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's ranges, endorsed by the AAP. Awake times come from Huckleberry and Taking Cara Babies; they're sleep-consultant starting points, not medical rules. Every baby is different.
Part 4 · Real nights
Some nights it will feel like nothing is working. Keep the steps anyway. The point of a ritual is that it's the one thing that doesn't change.
What's going on. They've been awake past their window. Overtired babies fight sleep harder: crying, arching, wide awake.
What helps. Start the wind-down at the first sleepy cues, not the yawn. Try an earlier bedtime tomorrow, and keep the routine short.
The ritual tweak. The express wind-down: warm wipe, 60 seconds of legs, your song, the crib. Same order, fewer strokes.
What helps. They still sleep flat on their back on a firm surface: no propping on pillows or towels, no inclined sleepers, no car seats or swings. Try saline drops and gentle suction about 15 minutes before sleep, a cool-mist humidifier out of reach, or sitting in a steamy bathroom before bed. No over-the-counter cough or cold medicine under 4 years, and no honey under 1 year.
The ritual tweak. Skip the massage. Keep the bath or wipe, the song and the cuddle. An earlier bedtime is fine, and so is extra comfort. Go back to normal when they're well.
Call the doctor now for a fever of 100.4°F or higher under 3 months, much faster breathing than usual, or a cough that stops them eating or sleeping. Call 911 if they're struggling to breathe, their lips or face look blue, or they can barely cry.
What's going on. Drooling, chewing and some fussiness. Fever, diarrhea or much more crying than usual aren't teething; call the doctor about those.
What helps. A cold, damp washcloth or a chilled (not frozen-solid) teether, or a gentle gum rub with a clean finger. Avoid numbing gels, homeopathic teething tablets, liquid-filled teethers and teething necklaces.
The ritual tweak. Keep the ritual as it is and add a gum rub with a clean finger after the massage. No cream on the gums.
What's going on. Sleep is maturing into grown-up sleep cycles, so they surface more between cycles. Expect more wakings, short naps and fussiness for a few days to a few weeks.
What helps. Plenty of daylight and activity. An earlier bedtime for a while. Pause a minute before going in at night, and keep night feeds quick, quiet and dim. Stop swaddling once they start to roll.
The ritual tweak. Don't add new tricks. Keep the steps exactly the same.
Call the doctor if you're worried about feeding or weight, there are fewer wet diapers, or their breathing seems unusual in sleep.
What's going on. Separation anxiety peaks just as they learn to crawl and pull up, and they practise in the crib.
What helps. Short separations in the daytime with the same goodbye every time, and lots of floor time to practise new skills.
The ritual tweak. The massage is your reassurance before the goodbye. Say your closing words exactly the same way every night.
What helps. The same routine in soft light, the same goodnight. Keep the nap even through nap strikes, and get outside in the daytime. Keep comfort visits short, dark and low-key, and stand a little further away each time.
The ritual tweak. Two choices ("moon song or star song?") and the picture steps on the fridge card.
Call the doctor if it lasts more than a month, or you notice heavy snoring or changes in growth or appetite.
What helps. If they were overtired, move bedtime about 15 minutes earlier. If the last nap ran late or long, move it 15–30 minutes later. Check for discomfort: a tooth, a stuffy nose, too warm.
The ritual tweak. The ritual is the cue, not the thing that puts them to sleep. The cuddle ends, they go into the crib, and you go.
What helps. Make the room very dark. Keep anything before 6 dim and boring. Adjust bedtime in 10–15 minute steps, and give each change 5–7 days before you judge it.
What helps. Meet every need before goodnight: water, potty, the light, the door ajar. Give a 10-minute and a 5-minute warning. Use "first, then": "First lie down, then I'll sing our song."
The ritual tweak. One song, one cuddle is the rule, and it's printed on the fridge card so it isn't up for debate. Add the moon pass: one free trip out of bed for a hug or a drink, then lights low until morning.
What helps. Safe sleep still applies: a travel crib or play yard, never an adult bed, sofa or air mattress. Bring their sleep sack, the sheet off their own crib and their white noise. Try the travel crib at home for a few naps first. Morning daylight helps with time zones.
The ritual tweak. Your portable cue kit is Moon Cream, your song and your closing words. Leave the fridge card with whoever's putting them down.
What helps. Shift bedtime by about 15 minutes a day over 4–7 days: earlier before the spring change, later before the fall one. Bright mornings and dim evenings help. The next changes are March 14 and November 7, 2027.
The ritual tweak. The steps don't change, only the clock.
What helps. Give them the fridge card. Do two or three "shadow nights": they run bedtime while you watch, without stepping in. Same song, same words, even in a different voice.
For grandparents. Safe-sleep advice has changed since they were parents: back to sleep every time, nothing in the crib, no bumpers, and no dozing with the baby on a sofa.
Part 5 · For you
You can't pour from an empty cup. These take a minute and need nothing.
Breathe in through your nose, then take a second short sip of air on top. Let it all out slowly through your mouth, longer than the breath in. Do three at the nursery door before you walk away. In a Stanford study, five minutes a day of this "cyclic sighing" lifted people's daily mood more than meditation did.
In for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. Skip the holds if they make you lightheaded.
One slow breath out for every stroke down the leg. Drop your shoulders. Unclench your jaw.
Hand on your chest at the door. Name one thing that went fine today. Just one.
If you've hit your limit, put your baby down safely in the crib and step out for a few minutes. That's a safe, responsible choice, not a failure.
Feeling low, anxious or not like yourself? The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is free, confidential and open 24/7. Call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262). In a crisis, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.
Part 6 · Why it works
In a study of more than 10,000 mothers in 14 countries, children with a bedtime routine every night slept better than those who had one some nights, and much better than those with none.
Mindell et al., SLEEP, 2015In routine studies, families saw bedtime get easier within the first week or two of doing the same steps every night.
Mindell et al., 2009 and 2017Mothers who followed a nightly routine reported feeling less tense and tired, and in a massage-based routine study most said they felt more connected to their baby.
Mindell et al., 2009 and 2018These studies tested bedtime routines, not Moon Cream. Moon Cream is how we make your routine easy to repeat.
Part 7 · For the fridge
Fill it in, print it, stick it up. Whoever's on bedtime does the same thing.
One song, one cuddle. Skip the massage if they have a fever, are unwell, or had vaccinations in the last 3 days.
Safe sleep: Alone · Back · Crib · Empty · Room
14 nights in a row
Tick a moon every night you do the wind-down.
Moon passGood for one trip out of bed: one hug or one drink. Then it's lights low until morning.
Moon Cream is a moisturizing cream with magnesium, lavender oil, shea butter and grape seed oil, made for step 1. It's not a medicine, a sleep aid or a supplement, and it contains no melatonin. The research in this guide is about bedtime routines. Moon Cream is how we make yours easy to repeat.
This guide shares general information about bedtime routines. It isn't medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about your baby's sleep, health and development. Questions about Moon Cream? Write to us. A real person replies within one business day.