Before she closes her eyes at night, 8-month-old Ava Ruzza listens to mom read "Goodnight Moon."

Soft music and prayers help settle Annelise Kelly, 11 months.

Skipping or shortening these evening rituals can mean trouble, their moms say: for Ava, more wake-ups during the night; for Annelise, a tougher time winding down.

The bedtime routine has always been "a peaceful way to end our day and something we both enjoyed," says Ava's mother, Leyna Hanan-Ruzza, of Brooklyn, N.Y. "But now I know it is a crucial part of her sleep pattern."

She's right, say researchers and parenting experts: The tried-and-true techniques parents use to calm lively children before lights-out can work wonders on infants too.

"Even the youngest baby will understand that when I have a bath and get into my pajamas and listen to these lullabies, I'm going to sleep," says Elizabeth Pantley, author of "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" (McGraw-Hill, 2002). "A routine moves them from one state to another."

Babies who suck on books and don't understand stories may seem too young to benefit from many parts of a bedtime routine.

But good sleep habits established in infancy are likely to carry over into childhood and beyond, says Jodi Mindell, author of "Sleeping Through the Night: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night's Sleep" (Collins, 2005).

"We know without a doubt that just having a bedtime routine has a huge benefit on babies and on moms," says Mindell, professor of psychology at Saint Joseph's University and associate director of the Sleep Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

She led a 2005-06 study of 58 infants age 7 months to 18 months that suggested that babies who have consistent bedtime routines fall asleep faster, sleep for longer stretches and awaken less often at night. Mothers in the study, funded by Johnson & Johnson, followed a three-step routine with their little ones - a bath, a massage with baby lotion, and a quiet activity such as reading - for two weeks. In addition to better sleep for their babies, the moms reported a reduction in their own anxiety and fatigue.

Carrie Kelly, of Colorado Springs, Colo., started a bedtime routine with newborn Annelise when they came home from the hospital. Quiet play ("not roughhousing," says mom), a bath and a massage precede story time, prayers and breastfeeding.

"We try to just keep things low key, as low key as you can," Kelly says.

When the routine is disrupted, Annelise may take 45 minutes, as opposed to the usual 15 or 20, to move from rocking chair to crib.

A common mistake is starting the process when children already are overtired. They have a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep, Mindell says.

Pantley suggests a bedtime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. for infants. The routine, she says, should begin about an hour before lights-out.

Early bedtimes also give mom and dad a much-needed respite. "Parents need time to wind down and rejuvenate and get ready for another busy day running after an 18-month-old," Mindell says.

Working parents often are tempted to keep babies up later so they can spend more time with them. Pantley suggests scheduling a morning playtime instead.

Other keys to a consistent bedtime routine:

• Choose three or four activities that you and your child enjoy, and do them in the same order each night. If your baby hates taking a bath, do that earlier in the day, Mindell says.

• Turn off the TV. Reading is a far better choice for winding down, experts agree.

• Center the routine in the bedroom, and create a calm atmosphere. Lights should be dim, and music soft and soothing.

• Don't expect instant results. Some children will show improvement within a few days of starting a routine, while others will take longer.

• Don't be discouraged by bumps in the road. Good sleep habits often fall apart when babies are teething or when they reach developmental milestones such as sitting, standing and walking, Mindell says. Parents should resist the urge to change the routine because of a few rough nights. "Consistency is going to win," she adds.

• Think of bedtime as bonding time. "That 30 minutes that I spend between 7 and 7:30 reading stories and saying prayers and rocking, that is some of my favorite time of the day," Kelly says. "We just get to enjoy each other's company."