Sleepy time routines- please share!

MariM

I am big on routines... This past week we've started to develop our "sleepy time routine" in hopes it wil help night time go smoother...

Here's what we have so far:

Bath time with Johnson's Purple Bottles (mom and dad)

I do a little massaging before dressing her in her pj's

Snuggle time with daddy- lights are dim

Bottle with daddy (gives me a chance to shower and do any other stuff around the house in preparation for bed)

PRAY baby falls asleep (mom and dad)

I'd like to add story time somewhere in this routine... not sure where yet.

I'm wondering what you guys do- please share!

Mari

 

MelanieJH1016

that sounds like a great routine! Ours is similar, bath, bottle, snuggles with mommy, bed! I starts at 6:45 and she's usually asleep by 7:15. We didn't start a nighttime routine til she was about 8 weeks old though. It's difficult to be on a routine when they are that little, but there's no harm in trying! I can't do a story before bed cause she is very tired and cranky, so if i read to her it's during the day. Maybe as she gets older we can add in a story before bed.

Snshine

It's good to have a routine but she's still a little young to expect her to follow the same schedule every day.

We bathe Kate around 7:30 (same time frame as Noah's) and feed her either before or after, depending on when she last ate.  After that last bottle we put her to bed.  We do all the other feedings for the night in her room with the lights off so she knows that's bed time.  Walter usually plays with her right when he gets home and after dinner.  We shower and do house stuff after both kids are in bed (Noah's bed time is 8pm).  We didn't start story time with Noah until he was old enough to understand it somewhat even though reading to your kids (at any age) is supposed to be good for them.  With Noah we do his bath, put on his pjs, read, put him in bed, sing his two favorite songs, then kiss him goodnight.  He is great at this routine.

Also, DH has always done the baths in our house.  Our childbirth instructor recommended it because I was breastfeeding in the beginning with Noah and it gave Walter an activity to do with him.  It's always been their time and since Walter works all day it gives him more time with the kids.  I come in with a towel at the end and help dress them but he is our bather.

HTH!  Sorry for the novel!

FSUSammy

Our routine has changed A LOT over the last year. Currently it is:

6:30 - start sippy cup of milk

7pm - Dinner

7:30 - Bath time

After his Bath he gets dressed, brushes his teeth, and then he goes down to bed immediately. 

Mrs. Aleman

Our routine is:

6:30ish Get home, Walk Oreo, her chore is to feed and give Oreo his food then she has a snack while I cook dinner

7-8- Cook dinner and eat dinner (30 minutes for each- give or take)- she either watches a movie, plays in her room, or color

8-8:15 Shower (if I wash her hair blow dry it after)

8:15-8:30- Pj's, brush teeth, pee, read her 1 bedtime story, kiss good night- LIGHTS OUT

taxbride

When it's bedtime, we usually do a bath, then put on pj's, then book(s), then song while walking around with him on my shoulder, then bed (at which point he points me to the door and says "door"--that's my cue to leave!). 

Sometimes we skip either the bath or the book.  He's over a year and a half now, and I didn't start this routine till he was over a year old.  Before that, he nursed to sleep,  sometimes after a book, sometimes after a bath.

soontobemrs.rjd

7 p.m. dinner

7:30  shower, brush teeth, get pj's on, brush hair, etc. 

she then says goodnight to all of her toys, "picking them up", and to us, and she drinks a sippy cup of milk while cuddling with PAPI

by 8p.m. she is in bed asleep!

and meme and papi are usually smiling =]

melly&jimmy

Kids love and need routines...my Eli goes bizzirk if something falls off schedule LOL!  He's three and has baby OCD (I swear).  I started Eli early on and it worked out so well Chelsea is on a bedtime routine too.  Bedtime begins at 7:30pm...I bathe Chelsea, lotion/massage, and nurse her to sleep.  Now that doesn't always go according to plan - she's only 3 months.  Sometiems she'll stay up till 10pm before finally going to sleep for the night. Yep, she's been sleeping through the night since she was 7 weeks....I wonder if the bedtime routine has helped with this?  Anyways, MH took over bedtime once my belly got big during my pg with Chelsea and has been doing it ever since.  Eli gets in the bath at 8pm, pjs, warm milk, story time, then I come in with Chelsea for bedtime prayers, hugs and kisses...then lights out.