Starting bedtime routine tonight!

Replies

• Katherinex

  Mar 3, 2008 5:20AM

  Hi Lottie
  
  It took my lo who as about the same age (he is 15 weeks now) a couple of days for him to settle. I did the same as you, put him in the bath at 6.30pm then a feed. I would feed him in the bedroom with the lights off and the mobile on.
  I am not too concerned if we dont stick to the exact time every night, i think for the routine its more important to stick to doing the same thing every night so they know its bedtime.
  For the first couple of nights we left him to cry then after a while would comfort him for a bit so he kne we were there, then he would settle again. Its as though we were telling him we were there but he had to eventually go back into his crib to sleep!! this worked well for us but every baby is different. we then give him a dream feed at 10pm x

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• LouMichelle

  Mar 3, 2008 5:39AM

  We are doing the same thing but later as thats what time suits us best and when I go back to work I will be working til 9.30pm, we've been doing it for about 4 weeks now (Lily is 8wks) We get her ready for bed then feed her with the lights off in the bedroom, we are lucky as we Lily has always been able to settle herself off to sleep, so she's never cried but it worked from the word go.x

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• LottieNH

  Mar 3, 2008 6:37AM

  Thanks, when your lo's cried did you pick them up to comfort them and then put them down when they had stopped crying or did you put your hand in the crib or pat them to let them know you were there but without picking them up? Also did you talk to them or were you quiet?
  
  Sorry - lots of questions today!

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• hushpuppy

  Mar 3, 2008 6:41AM

  I started a bed time routine at about 6 weeks and she was put to bed in her crib at about 7.30, she often cried for the first few days, we just went up to her, didn't talk - except to 'shush' her and I rocked her crib gently at the same time. When she had stopped crying and was half asleep I would stop and leave the room so she learned to fall asleep on her own. It only took 4 days or so for her to learn that when the lights went out it was bedtime.
  Best of luck.
  

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• Hevma

  Mar 3, 2008 6:48AM

  my LO is 6 weeks and i'm thinking of trying to start the routine this week. My first child took to this no bother so fingers crossed it works this time! xx

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• gracelouisesmummy

  Mar 3, 2008 8:11AM

  ahh stating my 5 week old 2nite 2 have no idea how to do it so any suggestions would really help ta xxx

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• LottieNH

  Mar 3, 2008 4:52PM

  Have just been sent downstairs by husband because I am crying more than lo is. I know its the right thing to do but its awful knowing that we could stop it so easily just by picking her up.

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• clarew-34429

  Mar 3, 2008 5:07PM

  aww hun dont get upset, she will be able to sense it. its just because its different to what shes used to. let daddy do it for a couple of nights and you can have a well deserved break.

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• mamapink

  Mar 3, 2008 5:25PM

  Hope you are ok Lottie. I have had a routine going for a few weeks now which seems to be working with bottle about half an hour before his bath, bath and then another bottle then he has a cuddle with me or my oh and settles down before being put into his moses basket in our bedroom. If he cries when he is first put down we give him a minute to make sure he isn't going to settle himself and then pop in, see if he has lost his dummy or covers or something. If not we try and settle him by speaking softly telling him everything is ok and that it is sleepy time now. Sometimes that settles him, if not and he starts to cry fairly hard we pick him up, calm him down (staying in the bedroom with the lights off or very low) and then put him back into his moses basket saying 'night time now, go to sleep'. Then I often sit on the bed next to the moses basket, sometimes gently rub his nose as this makes him close his eyes, othertimes just make gentle ssshh ssshh noises or sing him a lullaby and he usually drops off to sleep pretty easily.
  
  Generally although (up until the last couple of nights where he has started to go for longer!) Brendan has been feeding very often he would settle and go to sleep and go back to sleep very easily.
  
  Don't worry if it doesn't go well at first, we all have good days and bad days and you will soon get there. Go with your instincts and you will be fine.
  
  Liz xx

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• LottieNH

  Mar 3, 2008 5:31PM

  Thanks for your replies - feel a bit better about it now, Liz we are doing the same as you, she is awake but not crying now and am really looking forward to her 10pm feed so I can pick her up and give her a cuddle!
  
  She doesn't like dummys so I got her a Cuski today and am wearing it down my top to make it smell like me in the hope that she finds that soothing.

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• mamapink

  Mar 3, 2008 5:37PM

  We have a cuski too! I had it in my bed for a few weeks before he was born although I had to wash it the other day as he dribbled milk on it so I did the same as you and then put it back in his basket!
  
  If you are happy giving her a dummy then try a few different shaped teats as Brendan was the same at first and only really got into dummies a couple of weeks ago. They are a godsend now to help settle him when he is restless!!
  
  Sounds like you are doing a great job anyway, not long to go until your 10pm cuddles! x

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• -kia-

  Mar 3, 2008 5:46PM

  We started a rough routine a few weeks ago and a couple of weeks ago started getting strict with bathtime at 8pm. We do bottle early evening, then bathtime was 8pm, followed by bottle downstairs with low lights, half way through bottle we put lo's sleeping bag on, then finish bottle and as he's getting sleepy or gone to sleep he goes up to bed. We just started bringing forward bathtime to 7.30 as he's been horribly grizzly around 7.30. He seems to hav esettled really well into this - last night he slept from aroun d8.30 to 7.20 am - he's 10 weeks old.
  
  If he grizzles for more than a minute or so we do go and check on him and we will pick him up. The last 2 nights we've picked him up and he's burped then gone straight back to sleep. If picking him up and putting him down doesn't work then we usually check his nappy and more often than not it needs changing.
  
  At some point I want to figure out where to put story time in there... not sure when yet though!

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• LottieNH

  Mar 4, 2008 4:45AM

  Well she would only take 3oz of her 10pm feed (too upset?) and then woke up at 1am, 3am, 5am and 6am so am not sure if last night was a good thing or not really. Will try again tonight and see how she gets on....

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• mamapink

  Mar 4, 2008 6:30AM

  You will get there don't worry, and remember it can get better very quickly. It was only the other week I was tearing my hair out as Brendan was only going 2 and a half to three hours between feeds and was only taking 3oz per feed and I was shattered, suddenly he is taking 5oz nearly every feed and going every 4 hours! Last night he went from 9:30pm until 3:30am between feeds and then woke again at 7:30am for his next bottle. So keep you chin up and stick with the routine as it will work eventually.
  
  I've been using infacol and colief too to help with his wind and it has really started making a difference, he is so much happier.
  
  I would just try going with what works for her for now, so if that means not putting her down until after her 10pm feed then go with that. Brendans bedtime varies partly due to what we have been doing and partly how awake and active he is but we still follow the same routine regardless so he knows what is happening. Every baby is different so you have to adapt accordingly. The way i look at it I would rather he go to bed later if it means he sleeps for longer and is happier than try and force him to go to bed when he is wide awake. At this age they are still sleeping a lot during the day but the balance will start shifting which will help them sleep longer at night.
  
  Hope you manage to get a nap or two today you must be shattered! xx

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• LottieNH

  Mar 4, 2008 6:45AM

  Hi Liz,
  Colief seems to work well for us too, am going to try again although as she is having her vaccinations today am not going to let her cry tonight so will rock her to sleep upstairs and try and stick to the dark room for bedtime.
  
  Wow you must be enjoying Brendans new sleep pattern!
  

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• Hevma

  Mar 4, 2008 4:01PM

  Hi. I'm trying my bedtime routine tonight. i bathed him at 7 and then fed him. he's now in his crib upstairs sucking on his dummy. Hopefully he'll drop off then i'll wake him at 10 and see how i go!!
  
  I'll let you know x

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• LottieNH

  Mar 4, 2008 5:51PM

  Hope its going well for you Hevma, we haven't done it tonight because of lo's vaccinations but she has been asleep since 7 anyway - sod's law! Now we just have to get her to do it in her crib lol.

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• Hevma

  Mar 5, 2008 6:17AM

  well, he drifted off about half 8 by himself in his crib, i woke him at 10 and fed him and he slept until 2. Then he was wide awake and wouldnt settle himself in his crib so ended up in his chair on vibrate to send him to sleep. finally fell asleep at half 4 then woke at half 5 then half 8!!
  
  So not to bad part from the wide awake bit!!
  
  xxx

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• babycakes-36671

  Mar 5, 2008 8:57AM

  Lily is 5 month now and will not settle down before we go to bed. I used to feed her at 7p.m upstairs in low lighting, no noise etc but she wouldn't settle in her moses basket, nor her cot when she moved into that. It was heartbreaking listening to her cry and no amount of soothing would settle her. The more she cried the more awake she'd get! So I started feeding her downstairs (so I wasn't missing Emmerdale!) and let her sleep on the cushions on the sofa where she's perfectly happy. I wake her at 10.30p.m for a last feed, which is upstairs and she then settles herself brilliantly after this and will sleep through to 7a.m. She's a strange one, it's as if she knows we're not going to bed at 7 so she thinks she's not too. Having her downstairs with us in the evening is a small price to pay for getting a decent night's sleep, but I do wonder if we're doing the right thing. When she's fully on solids I will try an earlier bedtime again.
  Just hang in there and persevere for a while, but if it's not working then leave it a bit and try again later.

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• LottieNH

  Mar 5, 2008 5:44PM

  We tried again tonight, she went down ok but woke up and cried. I let her cry for 5 mins and then picked her up and put her down when she was calm again but within 2 minutes she was very very upset so I picked her up again and she threw up an entire 5oz feed all down my back - it even came out of her nose, it was awful she was so upset it took me 15mins to calm her.
  
  She is almost 9 weeks and had her vaccinations yesterday and I'm wondering if there is another, kinder way to get her into a bedtime routine, I can't let her get this upset again and I wondered if anyone has any ideas or suggestions?
  
  Am I being a bit of a wimp?
  

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