Need help with evening routine...

CMesser2013 · September 2014

For those in daycare, what do you do in the evenings once you are home from daycare until bedtime.

DS is 5 months today and we just switched daycare centers, he was at a 6 week program at my employer so has been getting a 30 min catnap on the way home. His new daycare is literally across the street from our house...so no more catnap in the car. My husband now picks up which is also throwing things off a little. He tried the swing yesterday and tried the crib today for a cat nap but the little guy wanted nothing to do with it...he's happy and playing but I am afraid he is never going to make it to 8pm.

I felt so fortunate to have him so close the past 6 weeks but we are now going through another change/adjustment period.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

LilMama7182 · September 2014

Our routine after daycare is come home, play for a little or take a walk, tub around 6:10-6:15, then she eats and is in bed at 7 pm and sleeps until about 6:15 am. We do pretty much the same thing every night and it works for us.

chichi589 · September 2014

I get home at 5 we do his veggie then bath then bottle snuggle in bed. Depending on his naps for the day we could play a little here and there but he's always asleep by 645-7. I tried keeping him up later it doesn't work. Some kids need to go to bed earlier and though I miss him and wish we had more time together on work nights I know sleep is so important for him. I take advantage of all the snuggles. I bf at night & we bed share but he's been sleeping well since we established a routine. I was never a believer in them but it really helped him learn to go to bed.

rtv3 · September 2014

You might have to move to an earlier bedtime if that works best for your LO. We do: pick up from babysitter at 4:30ish, home by 4:45, eat, then an hr of playing with mommy and daddy, DH goes to work just before 6, I read a few books/go for a short walk/play on mat with DD, then bath, pj's, nurse, and she's in bed between 6:30 and 6:45

kmos816 · September 2014

My LO always takes a catnap around 5 (well all her naps are catnaps!) she really needs it and goes to bed fine- she isn't quite 5 months so this might change

CMesser2013 · September 2014

Thanks ladies! The catnap was just working so well with an 830 bedtime...
When do they usually drop the third nap or extend awake time past two hours?

zazu13 · September 2014

Saw this somewhere and thought it was helpful. We are still 3 naps and awake 1.5-2 hrs before a nap except before bedtime (7pm) when they may go a longer stretch. If they have longer daytime naps we can get by with only 2.

hordol · September 2014

My kid won't nap after we pick him up, either. There is no way I could keep him up until 8. I was aiming for 6:30 but he seems to naturally be leaning more towards 6:00. I would love to have him awake until at least 7 to spend more time with him but it's just best to follow his cues.

kmos816 · September 2014

I should print that chart for daycare! She normally goes for 3 hours before her 1st nap.... Silly baby just wants to play all day.

*sparky* · September 2014

On days that I work it is really hard to get DD to take a nap when we get home. Fortunately she will usually take a late catnap at her sitter's for about 30 minutes. If not, I either put her in her carrier while I am cooking and helping DS with homework and she will either fall asleep or at least just chill out for a bit. If she ends up not taking that late nap at all she goes to bed early. But even when she does take her third nap she is usually asleep by 7:30.

RocksInTheWater · September 2014

We get home after daycare around 4:45-5:00. Sometimes DS will fall asleep in the car (about 15 min) and sometimes he will fall asleep while nursing. I nurse him when we get home. If he doesn't fall asleep for a short catnap during either of these things, we just aim for a little earlier bedtime. I tend to get him ready for bed around 7:00 with a pajamas + nursing routine. Baths happen a few times a week. He is usually in bed around 7:30. Lately, it's been taking him a long time to fall asleep so he usually isn't settled and asleep until around 8:30.

CMesser2013 · September 2014

Thanks again ladies!! After the past few days I am feeling better about the new routine...and am just going with it! If we get a catnap in we adjust bedtime to be a little later and if we don't bedtime is a little earlier! LO really just goes with the flow, I wish I could too!!

nycgirlkat · September 2014

For a while the drive home from daycare catnap, play, eat, bath, bed at 8:30 was working well. Now all of a sudden she cat naps, wakes up cranky as hell, we try to feed her fruit or veggie, skip the bath and then have a bottle and be in bed by 8 pm! LO just turned 5 months and is getting over a cold so I don't know if either or a combo of the two is a factor...She also was sleeping through the night but lately she is up 2-3 times a night just awake holding her feet and babbling! It seems just as we fall into a routine something comes along to throw it off.

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