7 week old bedtime routine

[RachelF87]

Hi everyone, my little baby is now 7 weeks old and I want to start establishing a bedtime routine. He generally goes to sleep between 9-10 and wakes once in the night for a feed. What I want to know is whether to give him a bath first before his final feed as I have heard it's not good to get into a habit for feeding a baby to sleep. Also how late should you give the last feed, really want him to go as ping as possible at night

All advice is much appreciated!

[soundsystem]

It's really personal preference but we always did feed last, simply because then they sleep longer before waking up for the next feed (in theory)!

We did:

Nappy off time (I can't remember what age it's ok to start that)

Bath

Massage (if DD was in the mood)

Into jammies and sleeping bag

Feed

Story (at that age more for our benefit than hers but it was a nice snuggly time)

Ewan the Dream Sheep on

Into bed

Zzzz

[soundsystem]

At that age we did the bedtime thing at 7pm then last feed at 11pm (before I went to bed) then usually woke for one around 3am then 7am, until the happy day the 3am one disappeared!

[motherofallhangovers]

Nature has designed us to feed to sleep IMO. I feed my child, she sleeps, works like magic! I can't get my head round all the helpful advice telling mothers not to feed to sleep.

It strikes me as making something instinctual and relatively easy into a monumental, stressful faff for both mother and child, for no discernable reason - except to sell books perhaps?

But perhaps I am missing something ...

[RachelF87]

Thanks everyone. Will try a routine of bath, feed then bed and see how we get on. Hopefully LO will settle into a good routine soon. Looking forward to the day he sleeps through

[Whatthefreakinwhatnow]

If it works for you great, but I personally don't see the point in trying to establish a routine at such a young age as their sleeping and feeding patterns change so frequently.

I found my Dds naturally fell into their own routine at the 4/5 month mark without any real effort from us.

Like I said if it works brilliant but if it doesn't, don't be disheartened.

[Ragwort]

It's just so personal, I never got into the feeding to sleep habit with my DS - he had a last feed, then bath, then bedtime - from the day he got back from hospital ............... he always slept well (7pm - 7am with just one quick night feed) but I am sure that was down to sheer luck . and he slept in his own room which I know is against all the guidelines

[caravanista13]

Fine if he settles into his own routine, but 7 weeks is far to young to start trying to impose one. Try googling the Fourth Trimester.