Bedtime Routine & Book Reading

thewayiam

We've been doing our bedtime routine since day one - well, most of it. G won't sleep in his crib these past four nights and I've been up all night, but whatever, we're still doing the routine.

We do a bath nightly, then nurse while the lullabies are playing/being sung, then rocked to sleep. There's one thing missing though - the book.

As a first grade teacher I really value reading with children from the earliest age. G and I have been looking at/reading books since day one, also, but not at bedtime. I can recall doing this with my nieces from a very, very young age and loving it .We would sit in the glider after the bath (and before my sister would take over with the nursing portion of the evening) and share a book or two. My sister said she's started adding books into the four B's (bath, book, boob, bed) by two months. THe way things are going here, I can't imagine that.

My problem is that although Grayden loves, loves, loves his bath, he always cries (screams!) immediately afterward. So, no book, we go directly to boob.

If books are part of your nightly routine, when did you begin sharing them with your LO at night?

hopingwaiting

Definitely not until after the colic was gone, so 4 mos plus. Can't remember exactly but now he brings them to us to read, signs help me, and then when we are done signs more to get as many stories as we have the patience for.  So no adverse effects of his early impatience for reading.  He first was mostly interested in books as teethers and it improved from there.

OCIrishBruin

Probably around 6 months or so, for the same reasons you mentioned.  DS is obsessed with books now (at bedtime and otherwise), so don't worry if you put it off for a little bit.

thewayiam

Thanks for replying. I was feeling guilt for not doing this early - but there are a lot of things I thought I'd be doing by now that I'm not (due to the colic, etc.) I'll not worry about it for a while.

Karen1998

hopingwaiting:

Definitely not until after the colic was gone, so 4 mos plus. Can't remember exactly but now he brings them to us to read, signs help me, and then when we are done signs more to get as many stories as we have the patience for.  So no adverse effects of his early impatience for reading.  He first was mostly interested in books as teethers and it improved from there.

WORD.

We don't often read them as part of the nighttime routine, but instead, I use them as a "slow down" during the day when he needs an activity break.  I also read literally everything to him.  So, when I put on his clothes, I read them to him, since most of them say something.  When we go to the store, I read the packages, signs, etc... to him.  He also has a couple of bath books that he loves.  Now that he's getting calmer at night and more willing to sit and listen to multiple books, I think I'm going to try to incorporate a book or two into the nighttime routine.  He's almost 7m. 

As for post-bathtime screams, G likely loves the bath and doesn't want to get out.  I solved that early on by letting DS play a while after I'd bathed him and then warning him that it was time to get out.  I say the same thing every night in the same voice so he knows it's time.  This worked great until about a week or two ago.  Now he wants to play a lot longer and, even with extended play, gets pissed that we're taking him out.  So, I've added a song to the routine.  I just made one up.  I sing, "It's time to get out of the bath, it's time to get out of the bath, it's time to get dressed and go, it's time to get out of the bath" to the Farmer & the Dell tune over and over and over again while the water drains from the tub.  It's not the most inventive, but it's to the point, simple and repetitive, which is what kids need anyway.  It's helped to shut down the time of the pissed off freakout, but has not shut it down completely yet. 

luckymrs718

I can't lay B down right after feeding her because of her reflux, so I've started reading to her after she takes her bottle to give her tummy time to settle what she just ate.  We give her a bath, listen to her lullaby CD as she takes her bottle, read her a book and then put her in her crib.  She's too young to even care right now and is always asleep by the time I read to her, but I really hope it helps her grow up loving to read.  I think you have plenty of time to incorporate reading.  But I'm still learning too so I don't really have any advice, LOL!

lauren.cus

We book and boob at the same time:) obviously this will change when she's older and wants to see pics but while I'm nursing my DH reads to both of us. Its my favorite time of the day!

luvmyducks

DD was the same. But now we have a space heater on before bath heating up her room. We put a blanket on the floor and she goes there right after bath. DH reads to her and then plays with Violet while I do lotion and naked time before I put on hr diaper. She starts crying after that when we start putting her jammies on until I nurse her. 

VeilSdeGTO

We do book as part of her wind down. It's book (in living room), diaper change and jammies (in her room), massage (on our bed), sleep sack (on our bed), boob, snuggles/burp, AR co-sleeper (in our room with sound machine).

On bath days, book happens way earlier and is not part of the wind down routine. We do bath twice a week.

authorofdreamz

We do bath/wash down (though I am thinking about bathing nightly because she does better on those nights) lotion massage and pjs with lullabies and then book during bottle and then lullabies again while she finishes. Could you read while BFing?

jertie

I had dreams of reading to Pip at night.  Snuggled in her jammies, freshly cleaned and sweet smelling after a bath, tummy full and listening to me intently in front of a roaring fire.  Nope.  With her colic and witching hour issues, it's pretty much impossible to set up a routine.  I was going to ask what other ladies did - so I'm really glad that you asked too!  (Pip also hollers and screams when it's time to get out of the bath - so I will be trying that "it's time to get out of the bath" song.)

In the last couple of days we found that if we put Pip in her swing during the day (which she usually hates) and read to her in a calm, quiet voice - she stops crying.  So, I'm going to try to incorporate that on a more frequent basis - at least she's getting some book time - doesn't matter when, right?  I figure that we'll begin the nightly routine with book once the colic phase passes...I'm really looking forward to that time!

Oatoa

I was also going to ask about the bedtime routine.  DD has had issues going to sleep between 8-12:30 so we have yet to put together a routine.  I'm glad I'm not the only one who hasn't quite gotten around to the book before bed yet.

martinimomma

Just adding to the colicky refluxy moms contingent. Gs bedtime routine is all done on borrowed time before he wigs out (routine = wiping down face and hands, lotion on legs - all he'll tolerate - jammies, sleep sack, medication, boob) and could not fit a book if I tried. In fact we did try starting a bit earlier to incorporate a book and snuggle time and that went over like a lead balloon. So no book at night. This week I actually started reading a book to him after his morning feeding while he was alert and being held upright for his post feeding reflux routine. That worked pretty well, though like Jertie I had visions of Pre-bedtime reading that we'll have to put on hold for a while. Hoping thus improves by 6 months. Which is what I said about 4 months too...but I digress...

Eris-Alexis

We only seem to fit them in about 1/3 of the time.  Usually it's bath, bottle, book (if we are able), then rock to sleep and lullaby.  He's been really fussy lately though, so we have cut the book out for the moment.

Ernie52408

We started books at 5.5 months when we created a consistent routine with sleep training. Since then we've been reading the same two books every night and at naptime.

I'm hoping to slowly introduce a new book now that he's older. If I have to read "Goodnight Moon" three times a day for much longer I'm going to gouge my eyeballs out.