By the time your baby reaches 8 months, he should be sleeping about 14 hours a day, with 10 to 11 of those hours coming at night, according to Lauren Gelman's "Parents Magazine" article. Every baby is different, however, and you might not be getting 10 hours of nightly sleep from your 8-month-old. Transition your baby into longer stretches of sleep with an evening bath.
Routine
Evening baths can be effective in preparing your little one for sleep because they establish a calming nighttime routine for your baby. It won't take long for your 8-month-old to associate bath time with bedtime if pajamas, eating and sleeping follow. Keep your routine consistent to encourage your baby to associate the bath with sleep. Try to give the bath at the same time every night, which can help to establish a more consistent bedtime as well.
Relaxation
A warm, quiet bath likely sounds relaxing to you, and the relaxation effect of bath time works for your baby as well. The evening might be challenging in your household, as your 8-month-old might be fussy thanks to a day's worth of activity and stimulation. Giving him a bath can calm him down and put him in the mood for a long stretch of sleep.
Tricks
How you approach bath time impacts how effective it is in getting your baby to sleep at night. Turn off the bright lights in the bathroom and, instead, use soft, dim lighting to again set the mood for sleep. Don't have the television or loud music on--keep things quiet and calm during bath time. When you're dressing baby, give him a massage to relax him even further, which might help lull him to sleep.
Other Strategies
Let the bath be just the start of the bedtime ritual every night. You will probably want to feed your baby before bed to encourage a longer stretch of sleep, so after you put him in his pajamas, feed him. You can read him a book, sing a lullaby or rock him after that to continue the calm, relaxing pre-bedtime behavior.
