Avoiding bad habits for an 11 week old

[LadyMC1]

Please help! DS is a pretty good sleeper (for an 11 week old) - he'll normally do a good 6 hour stretch at night and will nap in the day (frequently for 1hour +) if I have him in a sling or in my arms. Thing is, getting him to sleep without him being in the sling on on the boob is really difficult. I understand setting a bedtime routine, we do bath, snuggle, feed and sleep. It's at different times of the evening - generally baby-led, and I time the routine to finish when he's due to be hungry around the 9pm mark (using the 6pm-7pm feed did not end well!).
What I want to do is put DS down sleepy and get him to sleep (and also not end the routine with a feed as I don't like the idea of feeding to sleep - well not in theory but it is so lovely...!). But how do you know when to start the routine.... if you wait for sleep cues then DS is overtired by the time I've done bath, feed etc., and he doesn't get sleepy at the same time each night. How did you know when to start? I'm very grateful to have a good sleeper, so I just don't want to accidentally create bad habits for the poor little man. Thanks all!

[Timetogrowup2016]

I think 11 weeks is to early for this.
Their so used to their mummies that he just needs you.

[KondosSecretJunkRoom]

I think six hours straight is awesome for an 11 week old and would say stick with what you are doing because it's clearly working for your ds. You don't want to rock the boat and end up with an hourly waker.

[NickyEds]

The habits you are creating are good! Sleeping 6 hours at this age is very good. Don't worry too much about feeding to sleep at this age, if it works it works. I'm only considering stopping feeding my one year old to sleep since she cut her first tooth last week and I want to brush it before bed!

[Tfoot75]

I think they only want to be awake for 90 mins / 2 hours tops at this age, any more and they'll be overtired and won't be put down awake most likely! So time it from when he woke up from his last nap to be in bed at most 2 hours later.

[Heirhelp]

My HV suggested getting my lo to go down for day time sleeps by herself starting with the first nap in the morning. We had to give up bf and she now has a dummy. I started by putting her in a pram and shush patting her. After she was successful with it for the first sleep of the day I started it with later sleeps. For her evening sleep she needs Ewen the dream sheep and either my DH or I putting our hand on her tummy.

[Heirhelp]

She is also 11 weeks.

[milpool]

11 weeks is way too early, I'd say. We didn't start a bedtime routine until DD was about 6 months old (at least!).

[pookamoo]

11 week olds really don't have bad habits, and as others have said, it's quite soon for a routine.

The Infant Sleep Information Source website has loads of really good information about normal baby sleep patterns.

Congratulations on your baby!

[FirstTimeMummy25]

I'd loved to know your secret!! My nearly 5 month old feeds to sleep but not until 10ish each night and to get 6 hours out of him is unheard of- keep doing what your doing sounds like your doing a fab job (I'm not jealous... Much)

[milpool]

There is no secret. Some babies sleep. Some don't.

Some, like mine, sleep for 6 hour stretches when they're weeks old, then get to 5 months and it all goes to shit.

(She's 14 months old now and in the past few weeks had slept for 8 hours solid twice. Still no secret...)