What age did you start a bedtime routine ?

[Firsttimemummy19]

My baby is only 12 weeks but I'm wondering what age I should start to introduce a bedtime routine? He's EBF btw

Did anyone decide to just go with the flow and have no routine at all?

[Nnnnnineteen]

The majority of M N will disagree with me, but once dc started sleeping well I introduced a routine, about 8 weeks. Do what works for you! Mine wouldn't BF so had to go onto bottles though.

[Firsttimemummy19]

I've missed the 8 week point but that does sound early to me. I was thinking about 6 months ish to be fair, he's 3 months now and still seems a bit too young

[NowWeAreSuckingDiesel]

About 5/6 months I think

[MrsPworkingmummy]

I coslept with my first for around 18 months as it was easier when BF. She's 7 now and still comes into our bed every night. I've been a lot stricter with my second. From around 4 months I put him to sleep in his cot, bringing him up to bed with me once he woke up for a feed. From around 10-11 months, we started the routine of bath at 6, bottle then bed. He now sleeps through until 6/7 every morning and he rarely wakes up in the night. He's 14 months now. I BF him each morning, but I think we've had so much success with his sleep due to the fact I combination fed from 5 months. Once a day, he'd have a bottle of formula and we've gradually increased that so he now has one BF and 2 bottles of formula a day

[nobodyputsbabyinthecornor]

I started both my children at 3 months. They are 2 & 4 now and both brilliant sleepers . 7.30 pm - 7am !

[Littlefroggy18]

I started a loose one when dd was around 12 weeks but the timing varied depending when she was due feeds and was tired. I’d take her upstairs and get her into her sleepsuit in her room, pop her in her sleeping bag and feed in the quiet with dim lighting then put her to bed (bath included in that every other day) It’s started to have a bit more structure with timings now she’s 5 months and goes to bed at 7:30 every night. She’s then sleeping until next feed about 5am.
I think it’s important to get into a routine early, not just for baby but for you too.

[DinosApple]

Around 8-10 weeks. Both slept through from 12 weeks.

They were both FF by then so feeds were four hourly in the day. Never did an evening bath, so it was more cuddles, a song and bottle, popped in cot or basket with a mobile on around 7.30pm. 11pm dream feed then sleep to 7am. The routine suited them and me. Eldest came in our bed every opportunity until she was 7 though .

[whatswithtodaytoday]

Those who start early, are you leaving then upstairs on their own when you start the routine? I thought safe sleep guidelines were for then to be in the same room as you for the first six months?

I have a seven week old and have no idea how to start a routine, his feeds vary in time from day to day.

[DinosApple]

DD1 used to be in her basket downstairs or I would potter about upstairs (separate room) when she was tiny.
Tbh I didn't know about the guidelines with her so I did creep downstairs once she'd settled reliably.

DD2 fell asleep by 7.30 each night in my arms whilst I put DD1 to bed, I'd take her downstairs and cuddle her until I went to bed. She then had her dream feed and went straight into her cot (she hated co-sleeping).

[fr33d0m]

We had a ‘routine’ as such from about 16 weeks where he would go in the corner of the living room in his basket at 9pm and we would take him up when we went to bed around 10.30-11. He woke every 2 hours until 7 months when we left his bedroom (we basically swapped rooms so he wasnt away from us and in a different surrounding) and after 2 nights he slept through 8pm-8am and still continues to do that at 21 months. He would still wake while we were downstairs but it felt like his bedtime when we put him in the corner away from all the noise

[fr33d0m]

We also read him a story every night too which i think helps because now after the story he says goodnight, kisses us and gets in bed himself

[Woodifer]

With no. 1 we would do a nappy change, baby grow change, (bath on some days), then make lights dimmer and telly a bit quieter and into basket in lounge with us. No 2 was all a bit more ad hoc!

[MaverickSnoopy]

DD1 when she was 6 weeks old - bath, story, milk and bed at the same time every night. She started sleeping through at 8 weeks. DD2 was 10 weeks and started sleeping through at 12 weeks. DD3 gets a consistent but less enthusiastic bedtime - more like change, milk, bed. Started at 3 months but she had put herself into a structured daytime routine that we were baffled by - she has been sleeping long stretches at night of 9 hours + since a few weeks old but wakes at 4 to start her day (!). Thinking about it we should probably do a better bedtime routine, it might help!

Start it when you feel comfortable. I think different people have different ideas about what a bedtime routine means. For us its slotting in bedtime around a babies existing sleep pattern. If there's no real sleep pattern then it's harder and likely not possible.

[Celebelly]

DD is nine weeks and we have a 'routine' in that we have a set kind of order of things at bedtime - nappy change, baby massage, into sleep sack and feed. I've started putting her down at 8 and just waiting until she falls asleep about 10 mins later then watching TV quietly in the bedroom until I go to sleep. She's a good sleeper though and has been since she was born - she does 7-9 hours in a stretch, has a feed then goes back down for 2-4. She's kind of put herself into this routine so I expect it'll change soon enough, but I think you can have a 'routine' that's about your bedtime sequence and doesn't necessarily rely on specific asleep and wake times, as a lot of very young babies don't have any discernible pattern yet.

[DonnaDarko]

7 months as DS started going to nursery. Before then we were just going with the flow and it seemed to work. We never really had any issues getting him to bed

[YouJustDoYou]

As soon each baby came home.

[Littlefroggy18]

@dinosapple I stay upstairs with her and watch tv with the volume low. I’m ready to sleep at 9ish anyway as up with her early. I do nip down to grab a brew or nip to the loo but don’t leave her for more than a few mins. Now she’s 5 months I am doing her daytime naps upstairs and leaving her though she is still in with us overnight

[littlebillie]

6 months they will find their way

[Onceuponacheesecake]

About 8 weeks here. A baby doesn't have a routine at 8 weeks but I needed a routine with my 8 week if that makes sense. But actually it suits him very well. This is my 2nd, it never would of worked with my 1st though.

[redcaryellowcar]

With dc1 around 9m, with dc2 almost immediately, but neither slept particularly well, so based on my very small sample size study, I'm not certain earlier is better. If you want gentle sleep advice there is a nice book called no cry sleep solution by Elizabeth Pantley which I would recommend.

[Littlefroggy18]

Sorry tagged the wrong person above it was in response to @whatswithtodaytoday

[BelleSausage]

Dd was about 8 weeks when we started the whole ‘upstairs, bath, milk, sleep’ but it was very loose to begin with and has changed massively as she has gotten older.

She was an incredibly alert baby (40+10) so we did the looking at books thing pretty early.

Have a ‘routine’ but be flexible with times. As long as you can respond to their changing sleep patterns then it’s a nice way to signal sleep time.

A friend of mine used to get all riled up about how restricting our bedtime routine was. Why couldn’t we just let the baby fall asleep wherever? Why did she have to have a bath? Wasn’t it putting a cramp on going out int he evening? She took her baby everywhere.

Guess who has the better sleeper.

[ginandnappies]

8 weeks.

[Oblomov19]

Like pp, as soon as we came home from hospital.

[Narya]

About 8 months