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Bed time routine

7 replies

loopylo · 18/11/2010 21:00

Everyone I know with a baby says I should have a bed time routine but my 5 week old DD doesn't like to sleep until 8.30pm then wakes at 9-10 ish feeds until 11pm then will sleep until 3.30ish sleep then wake at 7ish. (some nights are still random and contain little sleep. I was trying to bath her and feed her at 6.3o pm every night but then ended up sat in the bedroom for two hours every night with her so I have resorted to feeding her sat in the front room with my hubby and putting her in the carry cot there, then lifting it upstairs when she has fallen to sleep. Next time she wakes I feed her and put her back into her carry cot in the bedrrom with full night time rules (quiet, dark etc) she will now self settle at this feed and the middle of the night feed. Am I doing this wrong should I not been putting her to bed late and in the front room-which is well lit and noisey but she sleeps very well with noise.

Also with reqards to nap times. I have been letting her nap when she feels like it during the day and always in well lit noisey areas of the house. Never in her carry cot but in her bouncy chair etc. Is this right. How many naps should she have a day.

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nonanny · 19/11/2010 01:40

Hi
She is still very little and will find her own routine soon. I have three and at this age we were often finding the same as you. It seemed odd to have them playing under the baby gym at 9pm in these weeks but once the daytime naps settle more into a pattern so will the bedtime. Some people force the bedtime routine and leave their babies to cry. We did what you are doing. Other people either remember incorrectly what they did or they are telling you what they are planning to achieve as if it is fact. You will be tired by the evening so you must also do what gives you a sit down and a meal. When they are this little you sometimes also have to bathe them at other times becuase they may have had a very dirty nappy, so they will not always need an evening bath just yet.

My babies also napped in the bouncy chair. SO long as this is safe and not on a table or anything it was fine. But I think that too much napping in car seats is not so good as they are quite hard but the bouncy chair is usually soft. At night I would def try to stick to the lying flat position. I woudl probably dim the lights.
My first health visitor said its good if they get used to family noise rather than complete hush, but its important for you that the baby is settled and you can get some time off.
Why not talk this over with your health visitor? They can have sensible ideas and not force any method on you. 11pm till 4pm gives you a pretty good stretch for this age. and then the 3.30-7pm. I think you are doing very well. Hope you are in bed right now!

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ricketyrock · 19/11/2010 09:03

I agree with nonanny. I only have one, 11 weeks, and i have always just gone with what she wants whilst wondering at other people's routines ( I cannot fathom how to do a routine other than what she wants / needs. I cannot keep her awake / asleep longer than she wants and I feed her if she is hungry). Now she is just about starting to find her own routine and what you are describing is pretty much what she has been doing til fairly recently.

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Liskey · 19/11/2010 09:13

We started doing a bedtime routine at about 10 or 12 weeks - and it took ages before DD realised this was sleep time. It did eventually work though though we used a lot of shush/pat on her in the first few weeks.

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PaulineMole · 19/11/2010 09:13

if she will already self settle some of the time then you are doing an amazing job

i nearly drove myself barmy trying to put DD1 onto a routine. DD2 is 3 weeks and sleeps when and where she fancies - mostly on me in the middle of the day Hmm - but we are much saner this way.

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Cosmosis · 19/11/2010 13:19

We have only just started a bed time routine at 10 wks, as we started to notice he was now conistantly tired at about 7/7.30.

I think you're doing great, DS won't ever self settle so you're a step ahead of me!

RE daytime naps, I think most little babies need to sleep from about 90 mins after waking, I know mine does.

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loopylo · 19/11/2010 21:34

Thank you everyone I don't feel like a bad Mummy anymore.

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nonanny · 19/11/2010 21:48

Enjoy your baby

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