Please help me tweak a bedtime routine

[Ceasnake]

My 10 month old has a fairly strict bedtime routine which is as follows (we?re much more relaxed during the day ? sometimes he has several naps, sometimes only one):

6 - 6.30pm ? dinner
7pm ? bath, change into pyjamas and clean nappy
7.30pm ? story and bedtime bottle in the living room with lights low
7.45pm ? carried upstairs sleepy but awake and put in cot, I say goodnight and leave

This works like a dream and 95% of the time he settles straight to sleep with no fuss. Some nights he sleeps right through to 8am, sometimes he wakes for a midnight bottle but then sleeps through. So his sleeping is pretty good and during the day he?s a lovely, happy boy, very active and pretty much walking.

However, he?s finally grown some teeth and I know he shouldn?t be having a bottle and then going to bed with unbrushed teeth. So how do we fit it in? He won?t want a bottle straight after his dinner and I?m loath to give him his bottle and then brush his teeth as that?ll wake him right up before his bedtime. What do other people do? Should I be dropping that last bottle feed? He is weaned and normally only has one bottle during the day plus milk with his breakfast. If he drops his bedtime bottle, he?ll hardly be getting any milk at all and that doesn?t seem right to me.

I feel like I'm being a bit thick about this and there's an obvious answer. If you can spot it, please point it out to me! :)

Not sure what the rogue question marks are doing there...

I had a similar routine to you with DS1, but everything was slightly earlier with bedtime around 7. I was bf, but he did have a bf after having his teeth done and I didn't do them again afterwards. He was also still feeding a couple of times during the night too at 10 months, so I didn't feel too worried about his teeth. They are fine now, although at nearly 3 we've stopped milk at bedtime.

Sorry if that's not helpful. I've always tried to ensure his teeth get a good clean first thing (before breakfast) and at night and they've been ok so far.

I had similar routine with DD, but changed it so we had milk (in her room), then into the bathroom (low lighting) to brush her teeth & then we went back into her room for story & cuddles before she went to bed.

Good luck! I read somewhere it takes 3 days to make (or break) a routine, so don't be surprised if it doesn't work perfectly on day 1!

Thanks for the suggestions - will give them a go. Perhaps I'm worrying a little too much too early!

I personally wouldn't worry about brushing teeth again. I do DD3 in the bath ( it's more fun and less messy!) then PJ's on, dimmed lights, milk and straight into bed. I find when they are a bit older (nearer 2) that we change routine to bath, milk, teeth, story, bed. I know it's against advice but I think at such a young age it's no big deal.

I asked my dentist because my DS (8 months) had his first teeth appear at 4.5 months. He said it's fine to have his bedtime feed after brushing his teeth. At this stage it is more important that brushing teeth becomes part of the routine at all so that they are used to it and do it themselves at a later stage.

The book i am reading is dead set against falling to sleep with any milk in the mouth as it will rot the teeth. This has sent me into a spin as DS1 (7 months) uses the bottle to get to sleep just like you.
I am attempting a routine where I wake him to read a VERY sleepy story after his bottle so that he swallows all the milk and gets the siliva flowing, i am hoping this will be good enough.