My girls are 6 weeks old and we are starting the bedtime routine. We start at 6:30 bath then bottle then story and try for crib. If crib time doesn't work we put them in the rock and play. This whole thing takes 2 hours before both are asleep. In a week my help leaves. I am so nervous that I can't do this alone. DH works and isn't home until around 8 pm. What are the tricks you've found helpful? I know they are still super young but I want to set them up with good sleep habits. When did you see the sleep starting to normalize? Thanks everyone!!
Re: Newborn bedtime help!
this may be a little tricky with 1 person, but we used to feed them in a very dimly lit room, no tv, minimal talking and then lay them on our chest while we reclined and it always worked like a charm.
you can try cuddling one next to you or maybe even putting both on your chest if you can.
this worked GREAT but its a bad habit to get into.
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Try starting the routine later. Aiming for sleep when it's really getting dark. I know they nap in daylight but there seems to be something about darkness that really signals bedtime (longer stretches) more easily. Plus that routine can carry through childhood. I would also suggest they go down in the crib or similar every time possible. If they fuss they get held or fed a little more then back down in the same spot. You'll also be surprised that if let to fuss just a little - seriously just a hanful of minutes they usually find their own comfy spot to pass out in. And like others have said make bedtime as boring as possible. No talking, lights, etc. the only exception here would be a sound machine HIGHLY recommended. I know it's hard! Make small adjustments until it feels right and then stick to your guns! My 12 week old twins already sleep better than my 3.5 year does. We made so many sleep mistakes with him the biggest was not being consistent.
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This was the case for us too at that age....our main goal at 6 weeks was to distinguish between day and night sleeping. During the day they napped downstairs unswaddled and at night they were in their cribs, in a dark room, swaddled. Honestly our only "bedtime routine" was giving them their last bottle, swaddling them, playing their mobiles, and kissing them goodnight. As they got older (and stopped hating their bathtime..my skinny winter babies were not fans at first...) we incorporated baths, PJs, sometimes a story etc.
I think you are on the right track; don't get discouraged if it takes a little while for a routine to "click"....they are still very young!
I think 6 weeks might be a bit too early, but 8 -10 weeks will likely see your best success. I would also suggest starting your routine later, like when DH gets home. Especially if you want to include bathtime. It's so much easier with two people to handle that. You can do it with one, but it's a little tougher, and takes way longer. I probably wouldn't bother with the stories either until they are more aware of their surroundings. I think we started reading routinely when my son could sit up on his own, so maybe 6-7 months old? But if it's important to you, go for the reading, it certainly doesn't hurt anything
With my singleton, he ate a bottle right before bed and after bath, but with the twins, they usually eat anytime between 6-9pm, depending on their schedule from daycare that day. If it's before bath (which is around 7-8), fine. But after bath, we'll just stay up until it's time for them to eat. They go for 7 hour stretches after that last bottle, so it's a wonderful thing if it's a little later
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