Tell me your bedtime/nap routine

superMiller · July 2011

I feel like I'm asking the same question over and over on different boards but we are STRUGGLING around here. (8 mo ds) Please tell me your routine. I'm hoping to get some ideas - maybe there's something I'm missing or haven't tried.

Thanks girls!

spunkyprincessmande · July 2011

pjs, read 2 books, sing 2 songs, pray, BF, walk until he's very drowsy, then put him in his crib and rub his back (this part is new the past few days we used to walk him to sleep).

Buggin9 · July 2011

We start bedtime around 6 if it's a bath night, 6:30 if not. He will get a bath, then we go in and put PJs on, give him his vitamin, brush his teeth, and put some lotion on him. Then we go into our bedroom and he nurses, then we read a book either on the bed or rock in the glider. He is in his crib with his lovey and white noise on by 7:00. He still wakes at least once overnight usually, though.

We don't have much routine for naps. I 1/2 watch the clock, 1/2 watch his cues. Typically he's ready for a nap after about 2.5 hours of awake time. Most times he goes down with minimal fussing but if he's really crying, I'll nurse him a bit more then put him back down and he'll usually settle then.

Sorry you are having trouble. I know how frustrating it is!!

TMNTgirl · July 2011

Nap time isn't always routine. Sometimes he falls asleep in the car if we are running errands or out. And then I'm able to take him out of the carseat and just lay him in the crib. But if we are home then I change his diaper, then we close the blinds and sit in the chair in the nursery and read 1-2 books. Then I rock him for 1-2 mins so he starts sucking his thumb. Then lay him in his crib awake with his blanket and lovey.

For bedtime we do bath, diaper, pj's, bottle, rocking for 1-2 mins. Then lay in the crib awake with his blanket and lovey.

I would say we started the routines between 4-5 months and it took a few weeks for them to really pay off.

kg_08 · July 2011

It used to always be just pjs, nurse, bed. Now that she's weaned it's pjs, books, bed.

bmp84 · July 2011

Bedtime-

Bath or washcloth wipedown, lavender lotion rubdown, PJs, bottle, put in PNP with paci, sleepsack, and FP seahorse sleepy but awake.

Nap-

No real routine most of the time. In the ideal world, I'd take her upstairs and give her a bottle and lay her down with her paci/seahorse when she got tired. Sometimes it happens and sometimes she naps in the swing or in her carseat if she falls asleep while we're out.

s*swan10 · July 2011

We started DD's bedtime routine the day we brought her home. It is bottle a half hour before we start the rest of the routine. Then it is bath/wipedown, lotion, a book or two in a monotone) one song sung softly, turn a small fn on for white noise, then into bed with a nuk and lovey. Ella has always been put to sleep awake. She gets put down about 8 and doesn't get up b4 7:30. The biggest thing is to break any habits your LO has that keep him from sleeping and falling asleep on his own. If he cries at night, do you go in there? Does he cry when you put him down awake, so you keep returning? Those are the habits you will have to break. By 5 months or so a baby knows that by cryng you will come whether they need something or not, and while it is tough to not respond it just gets worse the more you go in the room. (dont know if you have these problems, just thought i would cover it). Good luck to you and your LO.

Oh and for naps she is just brought into her room and put in her crib,offered a nuk, her lovey turn on the fan and leave.

For naps and bedtime sometimes she lays awake and talks to herself but I stay out of her room and she is sleeping within 10 min.

MirandaLea29 · July 2011

For bedtime it's bottle, PJs and night time diaper, read 2 books (one of which is always Goodnight Moon) then we put her in her crib drowsy. On bath nights, it's a bath, PJs, bottle etc. She's sleeping 11-13 hours at night.

One thing that seems to have helped putting her to sleep is we do her bedtime routine in her room. Before we'd just go in there to put her to bed, but she'd scream for nearly an hour. Now that we do the routine in there (and I make sure she has fun play time in her room each day) she's down in a couple of minutes once she's in her crib. We also did Ferber to help her put herself to sleep. It's worked wonders.

karen_loy · July 2011

around 7.15 DH takes DS into our room and let's him watch 10 min of cartoons, then the 3 of us play on the bed for another 10 min

then bath, bottle in our room and then we take him to his room while he's still awake, turn on the lights and music carrillon and usually he's out in less than 5 min

MaddysMama07 · July 2011

Nap time: We don't have a nap time routine. She's typically ready for a nap every 2 hours so we just give her her lovey, put her in her crib and turn her rainforest soother on.

Bedtime: Lotion and PJ's, read a book, rock during her last bottle, lay her down with her lovey and turn on the rain forest soother.

momofmanyinthemitten · July 2011

Bedtime: eat dinner, bath, pajamas, book, turn on sound machine, swaddle, nurse, lay her down (she's almost always asleep, but if she's not she may take a paci to put herself to sleep)

nap time: book (same one before every nap), close black out curtains, turn on sound machine, lay her down with paci and blanket (sometimes I have to swaddle her for naps too)

LO didn't start putting herself to sleep until 6.5 mos. She just wasn't ready and I'm glad I didn't CIO or do any other sort of sleep training. Another note, she didn't take the paci until 5.5 mos, but now uses it to go to sleep. One battle at a time, I tell myself. The fact that she can let herself fall asleep without one of us holding her is a huge step. We'll tackle the paci at a later date.

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