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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
Switzerland
member
What is your night time "routine"?
Switzerland
member
I know every night is probably different the first few months, but it had me thinking as a girlfriend of mine does this:
1) Baby sleeps in cradle next to bed
2) Feeds baby every 2-3 hrs (or when it wakes up)
3) Changes diaper in bed ???
4) Husband sleeps through it all
I guess the only thing I find odd is the changing diaper in bed -- she says that she puts a blanket down on top of the sheets as a protector but if she were to walk baby into nursery and turn lights on it would have a difficult time going back to sleep?
Guess I'm wondering what your routine is at night?
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Re: What is your night time "routine"?
Very early on, it was pretty much what your friend does: DD slept in PNP at the foot of our bed, I'd feed her as she woke up, I'd change her on the changer part of the PNP, and DH slept through it all most nights. DH didn't get any time off work, so I tried to let him sleep. If I needed help with feeding her (like in the early days of bfing) or there was a poopsplosion, I'd wake him.
Now (almost 4 months) she is still in the PNP. She eats once a night and I don't change her diaper. She no longer poops after every feed, and I found that changing her really woke her up. She wears Huggies overnight diapers and we haven't had any problem with that so far.
Natalie Kate - October 4, 2011
Blighted ovum, d&c at 9w, July 2012
Blighted ovum, d&c at 10w, September 2013
BFP May 28, EDD February 4, 2015
We quickly learned that you get whatever routine you have to get in the first few weeks to survive
You'll change a diaper anywhere if it means you get an extra minute of sleep.
When DD was first born, this was how it worked for us-
She slept in her pack and play in our room. When she woke up, DH and I usually both woke up. We changed her diaper on the pack and play changer, fed her, swaddled her, and tried to put her back to bed. We alternated times of trying to get her to go back to sleep. In the first few weeks, she did not go back to sleep easily. So, we took turns staying up with her and had a deal that if we were up more than 30 minutes with her alone, we woke up the other person. Taking turns helped it not feel as frustrating because you knew you could call for backup if she refused to sleep.
Nightlights were and still are a great thing for us. They were one of the first things that we sent someone to get when we got home. We needed to see in the night, but we wanted to keep it fairly dark to help her realize the difference in day and night.
Our routine now- Around 6:30 we do bath, pajamas, bottle, in sleep sack, turn on white noise, bed. It's very different than it used to be!
This....except I wake DH up sometimes if needed.
In the beginning K slept on my chest and if she needed a diaper change during the night I had supplies in our room and I would change her right there. I kept a changing pad to put on the bed. If K got too awake during a diaper change I could never get her back to sleep.
Then we transitioned her to a bassinet in our room but currently our routine is this:
Every other night is bath night.
Every night we rub her down with nighttime lotion before she gets into her pjs.
A touch of cereal followed by a nursing session. As I nurse I read her one or two stories (I discovered children's stories online last night-The Weiner Dog Magnet was super cute).
Crib with her music box on and lights out. If she is super fussy DH will sit in there and read more to her.
This was our routine up until last week, except I took our LO to his changer in his nursery. Now he sleeps in his crib.
I agree with the PP, get a routine down as soon as possible. Due to sleep deprivation in the early weeks I would hallucinate thinking I was holding the baby in my arms in my sleep. I would yell in the middle of the night to DH not to roll onto the baby - when he was in his bassinet the entire time. The routine kept my mind sane, cause I know I wouldn't sleep without doing the entire routine, and ending with putting him back in his bassinet regardless of how convenient it would've been to sleep with him in our bed.
When LO was younger, DH stayed up late with her and did the late night feeds (9p-2a) bc he naturally stays up late. I went to bed ~9pm and woke up with her after 3am. He is such a heavy sleeper she would have to scream her head off for him to hear her. She sleeps in our room in the sitting room area in her crib. We have a fan in there and a 3 way lamp kept on the lowest setting (very similar to a night light). I would take her to her real room to change/feed her. I had the regular light on (low watt bulb) and she always goes back to sleep.
Now, she STTN in her crib (still in our room) and wakes up at 6/7am. I then take her in her room for changing/feeding/dressing for the day.
Before bed each night now, we do bath(every other night)/lotion/sleep sack. She gets a bottle if she's hungry and is down for the night. She goes to sleep 830p at the latest (depends on day naps) and then STTN.