Feeding/bedtime routine question...
So every night LO is ready for bed by about 6pm (we get up before 5 everyday to get everything done-feeding, pumping, exercising, showering, playing, packing up, drop off at grandmas and then getting to work). Anyway, 6pm I bath LO, lotion, dress for bed and give him a bedtime bottle (6 ounces of formula, he gets about 20 ounces BM through the day and the rest formula). He either falls asleep just as he is finishing the bottle or when I put him on my shoulder to burp. I cuddle him for a little bit while he's already asleep in the glider and then put him down in his crib, already asleep. Half the time he wakes for a bottle around 2, half the time he sleeps through until about 4:30-5, when it's time to get up anyway. His first nap is in the stroller while we jog at about 5:45 til 6:45.
Anyway, all of these sleeping/CIO posts make me wonder if I'm supposed to be giving LO a bottle right at bedtime. Also a few friends seemed to think that me cuddling him in the glider is forming a bad habit that he'll always need to be rocked to sleep. My thought is that he's already asleep by the time we're cuddling (I snuggle him for like, 3 minutes)? Maybe it's a dumb question for which I could be flamed since I haven't read every sleep book on the shelves at a bookstore near you, but am I just lucky that he falls asleep on his own, or am I not supposed to be feeding him right at bedtime? .
Re: Feeding/bedtime routine question...
I had no idea that feeding a baby before bed was bad, so I am not much help in that department.
On a side note - holy productive! I envy you and your morning routine ability. I officially feel slouchy.
I didn't say if it was bad or not, I was just asking since a few friends seemed to think I was setting up bad habits.
On the weekends LO usually naps in the car or his carseat/stroller/shopping cart while we are going to/from errands/social outings, etc. I know that my parents (grandma and grandpa watch him while we work Mon-Fri) cuddle him to sleep for naps probably half the time during the week.
Lately it's 3, 45 minute naps during the day. Grandpa gets a real kick out of the fact that Grayson loves him and will fall asleep while he rocks him in his lazyboy (think old tatered comfy lazyboy...my mom hates it and calls it the "Fraiser chair"...remember that show Fraiser and that chair his dad had?!?! lol). I mentioned to them that they need to start putting him down when he's drowsy and see if he'll fall asleep and if not we'll have to team up and start some sleep training for the napping.
Our bedtime routine starts at around 7:30 to 8pm depending on what time his last nap was. I either give him a bath (about 2 to 3 times a week) or I just wash his face and hands. Then he gets into his PJ's. If DH is home, he will read him a book. Then I nurse DS a final time in his room with the lights turned off. Usually he falls asleep and I just put him in his crib. If he doesn't fall asleep then I rock in the glider and sing to him until he falls asleep.
I haven't done anything or read any books about sleep training yet. I will deal with that in a couple of months. I'm still enjoying nursing and rocking my baby to sleep every night. I don't see the need to rush it right now since he is a good sleeper (knock on wood).
Baby #2 on the way!
I am also like you ladies. I do bath (2-3 times a week) then pj's then bottle. Sometimes she falls asleep during the bottle & sometimes on my shoulder while burping. (I love when she's asleep & a burp still comes out!) Then I lay her in her crib & she STTN. She is good about falling asleep for naps on her own-we'll play her Seahorse & pat her butt a little to help.
But I was wondering about the whole sleep training stuff too, but at this point she is falling asleep & staying asleep so I'm not worried right now. Maybe it'll be a problem when we faze out the nighttime bottle, but that won't need to happen for a while.