bedtime routine and co-sleeping

[lazyjo]

How do you go about bedtime routine if you're co-sleeping? I am struggling even with the idea, as so far everything's been baby led, but keep thinking that maybe it's time to introduce more structure. Baby is 11wks, we're co sleeping, usually go to bed about 10-11pm. In the evenings either me or my husband have him in a sling, or he's napping on one of us. I wonder if there's an alternative to traditional 'bath,story,bed' routine, as don't like the thought of puttin baby to sleep in bed on his own (that's if he even settled) and not keen on going to bed at 8pm either ;) But keep worrying that maybe he's not getting enough sleep the way we're doing it. Please share your experiences :)

[blushingmare]

I have an adapted cot next to my bed that I put him down in at 6:30 for the beginning part of the night and then he comes into bed with me when he wakes once I'm in bed. That has worked really well for us. But I'm about to start another thread about what you do once they start moving as he's now 6mo and we're not far off that!

[lazyjo]

Thanks, doesn't he wake up?If used to co-sleeping?

[5madthings]

We co slept with all of ours, in the evening we kept them downstairs with us, they slept in my lap or in the pram (had carrycot) then once over 6 mths started putting them down upstairs gradually bringing the time earlier. Would just put them in our bed, we gave a futon so it's low down and firm mattress, pushed right up against the wall and out them over near the wall. Would use pillows or rolled up duvet as a barrier and had baby monitor.

You can use those bed rails or a bedside cot or we also have a toddler bed same height as our futon and they would go in that. As our bed is so low it didn't matter if they rolled out, though they didn't anyway.

Used to feed then to sleep and then creep away!

[blushingmare]

Do you know, lazyjo, I've been putting him down to bed like that since he was 9 weeks and he's been absolutely brilliant, not waking really til I came to bed. But now, at 6mo, in the last 2 weeks he's just started waking and I can't get him settled! So I've just started this week putting him in the pram when he wakes as don't really want him up in the evenings if I can help it.