Babies: 0 - 3 Months
PickyNikki
member
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What is your bedtime routine?
PickyNikki
member
I'd like to start a bedtime routine but don't know where to start.
If you have one, please share what your routine is, the time you start, time you put LO down, at what age you started, and how it's working out for you. Thanks!
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Re: What is your bedtime routine?
We try not to let DS sleep after about 6:30-7. We start our bedtime routine around 9. (I know that may seem late but DH and I decided we'd much rather put DS to bed around the same time we go to bed and be able to sleep ourselves - once he starts sleeping longer stretches we'll back the time up.)
I feed him around 9, burp, etc. Then he has a bath, lotion and pajamas. Then he has a little cuddle time with DH and then I feed him again to make sure he's nice and full for bedtime. Usually we get through about 2/3 of the feeding and then I swaddle him (he squirms too much when he first starts eating - he'd bust right out) and then finish feeding him. Then I gently rock him and rub his back until he's good and out, then put him in the RnP for the night.
We started this routine around 5 weeks (mostly what we added at that point was the bath every night and making sure the routine was consistent). Sometimes it works well and we get a good stretch of sleep (last night, we got 6 1/2 hours, it was glorious!) and other times he's up every 2 1/2 hours.. it's a crapshoot. But I like the consistency of having a bedtime routine and think that in the long run it will help him to know that it's bedtime.
I think we started at 1.5 months but I don't remember...
At 8 he gets a bath, lotion and jammies. We have the lights dimmed and he gets a bottle and I rock him. Depending on his day (how busy and how many naps) he will either go right to sleep or it may take him till 10 to finally be "out". Sometimes I have to use white noise to calm him if the day was really busy. I rock him for at least an hour because I started back to work and really miss him and need a cuddle for myself!
He will sleep for 5-7 hours, wake up to eat and sleep for 3 more hours.
HTH
DD is 6 weeks old. For a week now, we've done the following:
starting 7-8pm (depending on when DD's last feeding was)
1. bottle
2. bath (on bath nights)/ towel dry
3. dress for bed
4. story time
5. song + swaddle/sleep sack
6. crib (typically around 8-9)
It's working pretty well, but DD has always been good with her crib. We're starting this mostly so that as she gets older, she has a better idea of what to expect.