14 month old fostered.

[Rubyx]

Hi all.
I have a 14 month old foster child for nearly two weeks now. She is on four bottles a day and three during the night. ( she doesn't take that much but that is the info from her mum.
She also does not nap or sleep until late at night.
I am trying a bedtime routine for her. Quick bath, nightie, rocking and last bottle but she just whines and can do this over an hour. She wants to sleep in a bed with me but i can't do that. I sometimes try and put her down and then move her to the cot but can't keep doing that. She naps during the day around 2/3 times a week not daily.
I need to get her into a proper routine.
Wakes around 8ish, has her morning milk, some breakkie around 10 is, small meal around 12.30. snacks until i feed her around 7 to try and put her down for 8 but it is running to 11 some days because she won't sleep ( just totally used to co sleeping)
She is totally used to me know and even wants to come out of her mum and dads laps to me at contact.
any advice appreciated.

It sounds like you're doing exactly the right thing, introducing a fixed routine, but gradually. I would imagine it will take a few more weeks for her to adapt to sleeping in a cot, so I would stick to what you are doing.
Does she sleep well at night once she has settled?

Could you give her dinner, and then a bath, a bit earlier in the evening? If she's tired after not napping in the day then 7/8 may be too late for her.
Does she have a comfort toy / dummy of any sort to help her settle?

It's so hard establishing sleep routine, isn't it? Hope it gets better.
x

Hi, no toys, she seems to enjoy playing with mobile phones and pencil and paper. If you give her a toy she just holds it but doesn't really play. I am going to take her to a play group next week.
I tried earlier and was still there an hour and twenty minutes later.. will just keep it going until end of feb to give her enough time to adjust.

Hi Ruby, I've just had a problem sleeper. She was used to staying up until she fell asleep, never had a routine. I started off by staying with her until she fell asleep then transferring her to cot - gradually this reduced from an hour to about 20 minutes. Incidentally, I also gradually brought bedtime forward to around 6.30 which I think helped - as Bottersnike says, she was very overtired when she went to bed later which never helps sleeping.

After almost 2 months I started reading her her story in her cot, then leaving her to go to sleep. Yes she cried at first but for much less than I'd expected.

Have you also considered stopping giving her all those bottles?? Especially the three in the night. I know mum might want her to have what she's used to but at 14 months I'd be expecting a child to get most of their needs met from solids - if she's wanting 7 a day but not actually drinking that much she could be using them as a dummy/comforter. I know I sound cruel but I'd get rid completely and give her her milk from a cup/beaker.

Isn't it sad how many children don't know how to play? Hopefully she'll learn during her time with you. Good luck!

Sounds like you are doing all the right things re bedtime routine and good advice already offered!

Would maybe suggest swapping the milk for water for some of the time?

Also would walking with the pram at a set time each day help with naps (my lo was initially not good at napping during the day but eventually now sleeps at school drop off and pick up time in pram?)

It's still very early days and I hope all goes well!

Thanks all, it's reassuring and I have already reduced the bottles to morning and nightime only. Nothing during the day or during the night. Have ordered a pushchair so will do the walks at a set time as well to get her into a routine. Her mum used to sleep with her ( as she fell pregnant quickly after having her) around 1-3 in the afternoon, and then she would stay up until they were ready for bed. So she was getting enough sleep but in a different pattern.

That's really good progress! It's lovely to see even the smallest change in the lo's