New mum with a question regarding bedtime sleeps

[StephB2017]

Hi all,

I am a first time mum and my son is 8 weeks old. I am slowly and gently trying to introduce some sort of daytime and nighttime routine for him. Before now, he has just been sleeping during the day when he is tired, and then at about 10pm in the evening I take him down to bed with me where he then sleeps until around 7am (obviously not all the way through!) As I understand it, he should be put down for bed much earlier, following bath/feed etc, and from what I have read this should be around the 6pm-8pm mark. This is fine, but what I want to know is this... My son sleeps in a crib next to me, and the advice is that he should do this for the first 6 months and to not sleep in a room by himself. This is fine and what I want too, however if I am putting him down to bed as early as 6pm-8pm how does this work? Is it expected that I go to bed at this time too?! Otherwise he would be in the room on his own wouldn't he, at least for a few hours before I got to bed? Or am I meant to keep his crib upstairs with me (like I do in the day for naps), and then take it down to bed with me when I go? That doesn't sound right to me though if I am trying to introduce a routine... Would love to hear from some experienced mums as to what they do, and what their advice would be! Thank you! xxxx

[Eminado]

I think it's too early to introduce the routine you have in mind. I alwayss went up to bed with mine till past 6 months (because i was shattered!) but if not i kept moses basket with me.

[Heirhelp]

At this age I would just make sure that night feeds are in low light with little interaction. A eight week old baby should only be awake for 90 mins at a time but before the 4 month sleep regression they sleep deeply and any where. If you are awake he can nap in your arms, or in sling alternatively he can sleep down stairs in Moses basket, pram or travel cot. When he is old travel cot can be used as a temporary play pen.

[mimiholls]

What you are doing sounds fine for the moment. If he is getting tired earlier in the evening you could try doing a bedtime routine- bath etc- but then still put him down to sleep in Moses basket with you and take him up when you go to bed yourself. I wouldn't stress about it too much. Around 3 or 4 months may be a better time to start introducing more of a bedtime.

[clarabellski]

Our DS slept in sling on my DH between 6pm - 9pm then we would transfer him to cot around 9pm when I went to bed. In the first few months, between 6 - 9pm sling was only thing that comforted DS. He wouldn't sleep in a moses basket (including during the day! I walked A LOT with the pram!).

Eventually (post 6 months) the transition from sling to cot got earlier and earlier until it was just straight to cot around 6.30 each night and he's been that way ever since. We just sort of tried it and didn't force it.

[skankingpiglet]

I agree with above that it's too soon for such a routine to be necessary.

With DD1 we did bath, clean sleep suit, bf at that age but then kept her down with us as she had colic so was awake screaming the house down. When she did sleep in the evenings, between the screaming, it was in our arms as it was the only place she'd tolerate. From 4mo-ish she would allow us to bath, then feed her to sleep, and finally transfer her to her basket downstairs but she was disturbed by the noise so we started putting her upstairs in our room with the monitor on. It's not the recommended thing, but meant she actually got a bit of sleep.

DD2 I didn't bother with a routine until 6mo, past putting a clean nappy and suit on her when I got the toddler ready for bed, plus occasionally a quick bath if DD1 was having one (DD1 often showers with us in the morning instead of a nightly bath). She slept downstairs on a blanket on the sofa next to us or in our arms when she was tired as she was undisturbed by the lights/noise, and we carried her up with us when we went to bed. From 6mo we started including her fully in the bedtime routine, and added regular baths in too (weaning meant a nightly bath was suddenly essential!), then putting her down in her cot (still in our room). It worked out well timings-wise as she was just starting to become disturbed by our movements and the TV.

[Twentyten2010]

DS is 8 weeks and has had a bedtime routine (the only routine we do have) from 2 weeks. He has a bath at 6.15, then baby massage, clean sleep suit and a feed. Down to sleep in his sleepyhead at 7pm, downstairs on the sofa next to us. I go to bed at 8pm, DH brings him up to our room when he comes up at 10.30/11pm.

Like I said, we have zero routine during the day as he is BF on demand but it was important for me to have a time where his day ended and night began - especially now that he's dodging naps!

[StephB2017]

Thank you so much ladies for your input. It has been most helpful. All the best. xxx

[thethoughtfox]

DD slept through the night from 6 weeks from 7pm-8:15 am ( weirdly) From 6 weeks to 10 weeks we did the dream feed at 11 (give them a bottle when they are still mostly asleep) We had a moses basket which we kept in the sitting room with us in the evening until she was about 10 weeks and getting too big for it. Then she was in the cot in our room on her own till we went to bed. They need to get used to sleeping in a quiet room.

[HappyInL0nd0n]

A different perspective to some of the other posters, but we did Gina Ford and really found it brilliant. Her advice is naps in their own room which we did (obviously with a monitor). So, we'd put her down to sleep at around 7 after bath, then wake her up for a feed and then we put her in the crib beside us when we were going to bed between 10 and 11.

She slept through (10-7) for the first time when she was around 14 weeks, and from 7-7 from about 20 weeks. She loves her bed, goes down in the evening with no trouble and only wakes up if she's sick/teething. She turns one in a few weeks.

Not for everyone, obviously, but it worked for us. Good luck.