when should i start a sleeping routine for 5 week old baby

[taytotayto]

i went to baby massage today with my five week old baby girl, she is really good and only really cries when she is hungry or has wind. i have no night routine as i though she was too young. however nearly everyone at baby massage said they put their babies to bed at 7ish and allow them to cry thenselves to sleep. one admitted this was hard at the start but gets easier. at the moment my baby does start to get sleepy around 8ish and nods off in our arms but wakes up when we put her down in the cot. she has another feed and eventually settles anything from half 9 to 11. what should i do as id like to get her to sleep from 7 to 7 (ish) eventually. (she does wake once at night for a feed)

Sounds like she's doing brilliantly. letting a baby cry to sleep at 5 weeks is cruel imo. You sound like you're doing the right thing to me.

What you could start to do, is instigate more of a routine, ie bath, story feed, even if she doesn't actually sleep yet !

in a couple of years

Not at 5 weeks!

Well, you don't HAVE to do any routine, and you also never ever have to let your baby cry itself to sleep. There are other, much more gentle ways to help your baby find the routine that suits you best, and which are less stressful for both of you. BUT - I wouldn't do anything until she's quite a lot older. The 7-7 thing is a red herring, really - think about adults you know - do they all have the same sleeping habits?

If, at 5 weeks, she's only waking once at night for a feed, I'd be delighted, tbh, and just go with the flow. Cuddling and feeding her to sleep will do No Harm At All for months and months yet. If she's a contented wee soul, which she sounds, tyhen just stick with what you're doing, watch her cues and you'll find she has her own pattern of sleeping and feeding, which will change and develop as she gets older.

And just nod and smile at everyone else. She's your baby, not theirs.

i started routine at 8 weks with going to bed as apparently they can tell difference between night and day he used to settle well never ever left him to cry maybe few mins and go in and soothe again but never left to cry until fallen asleep i still fed on demand and just went witht he routine so i can kick start something but routine had to be tweaked and changed continuously so i would say go with the flow relax about it and dont leave tiny baby to cry its cruel too many people go into competition dont get sucked in lol

She's 5 weeks- she hardly knows she's here yet. Go with your instincts and don't listen to tales of other babies. It's not a competition or some sort of exam.

What would leaving her to cry herself to sleep achieve apart from a distressed baby, tummy full of wind and an unhappy mum? Babies in many societies are hardly ever put down,let alone left to cry.

Muddling through is a very acceptable 'routine'

ah thanks for all your advice. i feel better now, i felt like a terrible mother not getting her to bed at 7!!!!! i enjoy her company so much i really love our time in the evening so dont mind carrying on and i know she likes our snuggle time too, again thanks for all the replies xxx

Hi Tayto,

Can I just echo what everyone else has said? It sounds like you are doing absolutely brilliantly. If you have found something that works well for your LO, then don't mess with it! She's still sooooo small and there's plenty of time to get her into a routine later on - she sounds like she's very happy as she is. Mine naturally fell into a 7-7 (ish) routine at about 4.5 months when she was ready (although she's still waking once for a feed, which is fine). At your stage, my LO was doing roughly the same thing as your LO (although she was nowhere near as placid ), so don't worry that it won't happen.

I posted a similar query about this when my DD was 8 weeks old and I received quite a few replies saying they had started to get a routine in place at 6 weeks (I felt a bit guilty that my DD was still up and about until she dropped off somewhere between 9 -11).

So, I started doing the whole bath, feed and quiet time thang about ten days ago - popping her down about 730 and, I have to say, apart from one time, on the 2nd night of the routine I think, she has settled herself within about 10 minutes. She still wakes at some point in the night for food but generally sleeps really well and I think she likes the whole winding down.

I know she is quite a bit older than your little one but I don't think there is much harm with putting a little routine in place and seeing how she responds. If it's not for her, I am sure she will let you know.

I absolutely love spending time with my DD but it is also nice to have some of my evening back. It also means she naps a little less in the day so we can play more while the sun is out.

Whatever you decide, sounds like you're doing a great job.

I think it is amazing that she is sleeping so well now. Non of mine were in a routine of daytime naps, bedtime, feeds etc until around 4 months when they just seemed to do it naturally, ie, be feeding around the same time and getting tired the same time everyday.

I felt very pressured to get DC1 into a routine early and got quite upset when I tried and failured. By DC3 I went with the flow and we were both a lot happier. They all now sleep through the night and I consider any getting up after 6 to be ok.

Good luck with it all, and do what you want. Don't be pressured!