Starting a bedtime routine with 8 week old baby

[1Catherine1]

My DD has been co-sleeping with me for the past 8 weeks but in the last week I have weaned her into her cotbed quite successfully. She happily sleeps in there once I get her off to sleep. I am now concerned about developing good habits and avoiding causing problems in the future. I also have a feeling I'm doing this all wrong.

She usually only sleeps in 4 hour periods as she is EBF so for this reason I tend to put her to bed at midnight and then with one 4am feed I can happily get up around 8:30am. Should I be putting her to bed earlier? I have read that some people put their LO to bed at 7pm, is this when they sleep all night or as early as 8 weeks?

What should a routine involve and how long should it take? I have tried including a bath but my flat gets very cold at night so I don't like to give her a bath after 9pm when its colder and it doesn't really relax her anyway.

Tonights "routine" consisted of: change nappie - sleepsuit on - into sleeping bag - into bedroom. Then I wondered what I should do next, I ended up cuddling her and rocking her while she went to sleep in my arms and then putting her down in the cotbed but again I have heard that this could be developing bad habits. I then left the room. 20 minutes later she woke, cried a little (I waited a moment before moving and she stopped fairly quickly without needing me) and went back to sleep.

I'm just looking for a little bit of advice from experienced mothers so that I can settle her easily without stress in the future. TIA

I think parents tend to be a bit more relaxed with first born, and it does depend on your baby, but the routine I settled into was:

Bath time at 6pm, into sleep suit, feed (which changed to milk and stories later); and then bed at 7pm.

My eldest had colic, and wouldn't settle until 10pm until he was around 13 weeks, but my youngest slept well from 7pm almost from day 3. (Mind you, he used to wake up at 2am and refise o go back to sleep!).

Most babies sleep for a shorter time at night until about 3/4 months and many prefer a later bedtime till then. I really wouldn't worry at this stage - she's tiny. You really can't get into bad habits this young - I'd enjoy the cuddles. :)

Congratulations on your DD.

We started bedtime routine with Ds about this age. We do the same now (9 months) - bath or wash, clean nappy and sleepsuit, cuddles and story, BF, song and into bed awake with mobile on. At 8 weeks he went to sleep fine at 6-7 and then woke 3 hourly through the night for feeds/changes. These days he only wakes once in 12 hours.....

We got into a routine at about nine weeks. We bought a three sided cot and bungee roped it into the side of the bed. Before this we co slept and our bedtime at around half ten was his bed time. By nine weeks his routine was:
7.15 bath
7.40 feed (bottle fed falls asleep at this feed)
8.10 ish bed (have to pop upstairs the odd time for dummy or quick cuddle)
10.45 feed (barely wakes for this feed)
Often back in our bed by about five

I am moving his bedtime forward so that by four months his bed time should be 7 ( touch wood!). We have a mobile to signal bed time and bed feeds are always done in the dark with no talking.
Not sure about bad habits as we just do whatever we need to get him and us some sleep. We enjoy the cuddles!

Tiny babies tend to need your physical contact for a lot of the evening, so go to bed when you do, but that gradually comes forward as they get bigger - DD and DS were both going to bed by 6.30 by 6 months. Really don't worry about a routine, because just as you think you've got something nailed, your DC will change everything! You'll be up for the 16 week growth spurt very soon, so anything you do to establish a routine now will go out the window anyway. Your baby's too young to form habits at this stage!

Gina Ford - 7pm-7am - the one good point she makes!

My experience:

First baby - tried to do the whole 'bedtime' routine, asleep for 7pm from around 6 weeks. Cue hit and miss affair with much time spent upstairs in a darkened room. Result = PFB a terrible sleeper and not sleeping thro until 2yrs

Second baby - kept baby downstairs with us in the evening until around 4months, frequent bf, sleeping in arms/moses basket by the sofa. Much more time spent with DH watching telly! Result = Second child a terrible sleeper and not sleeping thro until 2yrs...

I think mine just don't sleep that well as infants!

I think a routine is the important thing - don't worry about times too much just now (your daughter can't tell the time!!). But if she learns what to expect at bedtime while she is young it'll become second nature. I used to do bath, bottle/breast, bed. When I put them to bed the light was off and I'd turn the music on their cot mobile. During feeds at night I kept it dark, didn't talk or fuss them and only changed their nappy if it needed it. Very quickly she should learn the difference between nightime and daytime. Even if you start the routine at 10pm or midnight to start with it doesn't matter - it's the routine she needs to learn, and you can gradually move the time as she gets older until you're at 7pm or whatever time you decide is right for her

Hi Catherine, I'm with you on post-natal group. It sounds to me like your doing really well and DD is doing everything she should. I am a big believer of routines and DD1 and DD2 sleep from 7:30-7:30 every night but DD3 (8 weeks also) isn't having any of it. About 6:45 I give her a bath, get her dressed and relaxed and feed her and she then when she should be going to sleep she stays awake till about 10-10:30, then wakes about 3am and then I wake her about 7:30-8:00 (I need her awake then so she's ready in time for the school run) the evening is her most awake time and she's been doing that since 1 week old. We're just going with it for now and once we get her having just one feed at night consistently we'll work on the evening but I'll still do the bath/feed etc cause eventually she'll get the message that this is bedtime. Hope this helps!

Thank you for all your replies. I think TomskiGirl you are quite right in reminding me that DD can not tell the time so I needn't stress about that. Last night we went through the whole routine at 10 pm and then she decided she was still hungry so we abandoned it anyway. I think I will try to keep the routine activities that signal bedtime the same but not worry about the times for now. Hopefully it will fall into place by the time I return to work in July.

I used to bath, BFeed and DH took then up to the cot at about 11pm.
I know some people put babies to bed so much earlier but they're not going to sleep all night are they?
It was more important to me that I was undistubed in the early hours (horrible time to be awake).
After a late BF they slept through untill 6/7am, one from 3 weeks, the other from 6 weeks, (I quit whilst I was ahead).

It will come 1Catherine1, she's still really young and you are doing everything right :)