Please share your nap/bedtime routine

Jeanine88 · July 2012

We have a bedtime routine but not necessarily a nap routine. I also haven't "sleep trained" yet at the suggestion of my pedi. Right now he usually nurses/takes a bottle and falls asleep at either nap time or bed time. I know we have to break this... he can fall asleep on his own if I catch him at the right time. If I wait too long, it's not happening.

also- if reading is a part of your routine, what do you do if your little one is squirmy/ trying to eat the pages?

Jeanine88 · July 2012

Starbuck128:

We nurse to sleep for everything. When I'm out around town, I try to coordinate driving with when he wants to fall asleep. I do all the bad habits. DH can just plop him down in his crib and he'll fall asleep, or rock him to sleep. Because I have the boobs, I don't put in as much effort. I have to get him to sleep at my mom's house this weekend, and won't be able to nurse to sleep. It's stressing me out.

Ug- I'm sorry! I know I stress out when he is not with us for bedtime too. Maybe he will go down for your mom since he does it for DH well. Good luck!

Bella61811 · July 2012

We do her "dinner" (solids) around 7PM. After she's finished it's bath time. Then she gets all lotioned up with her bedtime lotion. She then comes downstairs with me while DH and I watch TV and she nurses. She no longer falls asleep nursing and if she does she wakes up when I pick her up to burp her. After that she gets her paci and gets swaddled (the past few days we've been using the Magic Sleep Suit though) and she will just lay in my arms until she drifts off to sleep. We cannot do drowsy but awake. She instantly wakes all the way up and screams. I try to read to her before she nurses but recently she's been too hungry and cranky to stand a book LOL

bikitybinx · July 2012

We sleep trained last week which was difficult to get through but now she is able to self sooth to sleep for naps. When I see drowsy signs I nurse her, sing to her, and put her in her crib. She falls asleep within a few minutes. Bedtime is a little different - I nurse, sing and then daddy rocks her to sleep. Daddy never gets to see her otherwise, so this is his special time with her.

AnessaDaneen · July 2012

Nap time: nurse, burp, rock and hum for only 5 minutes, and set in crib. He is pretty good at putting himself to sleep if he is drowsy when set in the crib.

Bedtime: medicine, bath, read book, nurse, rock and hum for only 5 minutes, and set in crib.

Jeanine88 · July 2012

AnessaDaneen:

Nap time: nurse, burp, rock and hum for only 5 minutes, and set in crib. He is pretty good at putting himself to sleep if he is drowsy when set in the crib.

Bedtime: medicine, bath, read book, nurse, rock and hum for only 5 minutes, and set in crib.

I like your time constraints of 5 minutes... I need something finite like that- thanks!

Jeanine88 · July 2012

bikitybinx:
We sleep trained last week which was difficult to get through but now she is able to self sooth to sleep for naps. When I see drowsy signs I nurse her, sing to her, and put her in her crib. She falls asleep within a few minutes. Bedtime is a little different - I nurse, sing and then daddy rocks her to sleep. Daddy never gets to see her otherwise, so this is his special time with her.

I'm glad to hear sleep training was successful for others!

Jeanine88 · July 2012

Bella61811:
We do her "dinner" (solids) around 7PM. After she's finished it's bath time. Then she gets all lotioned up with her bedtime lotion. She then comes downstairs with me while DH and I watch TV and she nurses. She no longer falls asleep nursing and if she does she wakes up when I pick her up to burp her. After that she gets her paci and gets swaddled (the past few days we've been using the Magic Sleep Suit though) and she will just lay in my arms until she drifts off to sleep. We cannot do drowsy but awake. She instantly wakes all the way up and screams. I try to read to her before she nurses but recently she's been too hungry and cranky to stand a book LOL

I've thought about the Magic Sleep Suit- do you like it?

MollySm · July 2012

At nighttime we (usually H) takes her into her room, gets her changed, gives her paci, reads 2 books, and puts her down. We are playing with the time - it was 6:30, but we've moved it back to 7 recently because she seems more active in the evenings.

I wouldn't call it drowsy - it's definitely the right bedtime (if we go later she melts down), but when we put her in the crib she plays. Lots of taking the paci out, or kicking her feet, or talking. We go back in every once in awhile to put paci back in - we'll cut this out when she can do it herself. And then she falls asleep.

At naps we do the same thing, except without changing into pjs, and at naptime we give her her lamb to cuddle. I'm still too nervous to do it at night while I'm sleeping and not paying close attention.

She does try and grab/eat the books. We use her hands to show her how to turn pages, and just keep reading.

Bella61811 · July 2012

Jeanine88:

Bella61811:
We do her "dinner" (solids) around 7PM. After she's finished it's bath time. Then she gets all lotioned up with her bedtime lotion. She then comes downstairs with me while DH and I watch TV and she nurses. She no longer falls asleep nursing and if she does she wakes up when I pick her up to burp her. After that she gets her paci and gets swaddled (the past few days we've been using the Magic Sleep Suit though) and she will just lay in my arms until she drifts off to sleep. We cannot do drowsy but awake. She instantly wakes all the way up and screams. I try to read to her before she nurses but recently she's been too hungry and cranky to stand a book LOL

I've thought about the Magic Sleep Suit- do you like it?

We've only had it for a few days and it didn't seem to help much at first but she is also being treated for ear infections so I said I'd wait until she was feeling better to really judge. Last night she only woke up twice because her paci fell out and very easily went back to sleep so I think it might be doing the trick. We had to stop swaddling because she was busting out and waking up crying every time. That was like 4 times a night, ugh! So far I am happy. Hopefully she'll go back to STTN soon.

KatelynEA90 · July 2012

Our sleep routine is getting her bear and blanket, turning on some music, cuddling a little and then laying her down in her PNP(thats her 'crib'). Sometimes she falls right to sleep. Sometimes I have to rock the side of the PNP for a minute. Other times, it's just not happening and I rock her to sleep first.

I can never seem to time bed time just right. It's different every night and I can't find the window where she doesn't fight me like mad. So for bedtime, we walk around the house with our bear and blanket and rock to sleep.

I just got a bedtime book for her and I'm thinking of using it in our bedtime routine.

bikitybinx · July 2012

Jeanine88:
bikitybinx:
We sleep trained last week which was difficult to get through but now she is able to self sooth to sleep for naps. When I see drowsy signs I nurse her, sing to her, and put her in her crib. She falls asleep within a few minutes. Bedtime is a little different - I nurse, sing and then daddy rocks her to sleep. Daddy never gets to see her otherwise, so this is his special time with her.

I'm glad to hear sleep training was successful for others!

It wasn't easy, let me tell you.... I still have this cloud of guilt hanging over me, but it really was for the best for her. She's sleeping so much better now and happier, too...and mama doesn't have to spend half the day trying to get her to sleep!

Jeanine88 · July 2012

bikitybinx:
Jeanine88:

bikitybinx:
We sleep trained last week which was difficult to get through but now she is able to self sooth to sleep for naps. When I see drowsy signs I nurse her, sing to her, and put her in her crib. She falls asleep within a few minutes. Bedtime is a little different - I nurse, sing and then daddy rocks her to sleep. Daddy never gets to see her otherwise, so this is his special time with her.

I'm glad to hear sleep training was successful for others!

It wasn't easy, let me tell you.... I still have this cloud of guilt hanging over me, but it really was for the best for her. She's sleeping so much better now and happier, too...and mama doesn't have to spend half the day trying to get her to sleep!

Exactly! I cannot sing the same songs again I may lose my mind!

laura.noel · July 2012

For naps, we change the diaper, put him in a lightweight sleep sack, and then rock and listen to music (singing is too interesting, he wants to watch me, but recorded music works) until he has just fallen asleep, when I put him down. Usually, he opens his eyes, and then closes them again, and is out.

For night time, he gets a bath, gets in pjs and a sleep sack, we read a book (he sometimes does play with the pages, but that's ok. he doesn't usually get too squirmy), he nurses. If he's sleepy enough to put down after nursing (99% asleep is the only way that works for us), I put him down, otherwise my hubby rocks him to sleep.

We haven't done any official sleep training, yet, but he is the kind of cryer that gets worse over time, and has NEVER stopped crying on his own, so I don't think he's ready.

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