Have a look at my bedtime routine please

[FanjoForTheMusic]

Hi there,
Am blessed with a 10 month old DD who goes into her cot and self-settles at about 7. We've had the same bedtime routine for months:

5.30 tea
6.30 upstairs for nappy-off time and bath (teeth done in bath)
6.50 ish into pjs and sleeping bag in a darkened room
7.00 FF then sleep

My questions are:
How would you integrate a bedtime story into this, and how important is it? We read during the day.
Do you bath your babies, put them into pjs, feed them and THEN carry them into the bathroom to do their teeth?

DD doesn't like us doing her teeth and I'm scared to make any deviations to our routine!

Always bath after feed but that's because my 2 are filth monsters and would just get dirty again whilst eating. If you wanted to incorporate bedtime story why don't you just bring everything 10minutes earlier so 6:40ish into pjs and sleeping bag in a darkened room with story?

As for the bedtime story, sometimes this is the only part of day DH manages to make it home for with the kids so I think it is important.

I would be inclined to say teeth after a FF, we've always done stories while having milk then teeth then up to bed and a last story/sing some nursery rhymes in bed to banish the trauma of tooth brushing.

I used to do a last BF after toothbrushing but only until around 22 months. It wasn't ideal.

I think stories are important too. We do them in bed so the very last thing before lights out is a nice positive calm thing. It also means I can sternly say "you're wasting story time" if we get toothbrush stalling tactics . But I don't think stories were a natural integral part of bedtime until a little bit older, maybe 18 months.

You sound like you have a really good bedtime routine and I wouldn't change it at all. You could have a story at 6.15pm before you go upstairs, which wouldn't interrupt the good routine you have once you're upstairs.

You can have stories at any time of day. They can be useful as a winding down thing at bedtime but it doesn't sound as though you need that.

I would strongly advise against anything that lenghtens your routine once upstairs - based on my experience with my DH and his DC's who had a ridiculous routine which went on for anything up to 2 hours when I first knew him. It is now much better but still far to long and protracted for kids of 10 & 7 IMO.

Thanks everyone for the advice. Yes, I do feel it's working well, but as more teeth are arriving I feel we're going to have to tackle the issue of cleaning teeth after her feed, not before.

Yes glass, I'm reluctant to anything that lengthens the upstairs bit! By that time of the day I'm desperate to get her into bed and myself onto the sofa!

Wow!!! Identical routine to us. We have 14 month old DS. However zero interest in books so no bedtime story here. We look through them in the morning but if I do it at bed time he's so not interested.

Good luck.

Hi

I wouldn't be worried about the timing for teeth right now (eventually you'll probably move it to after bath, before bed), but I think it is a good idea for finish with a story, before lights off. I found it a natural way of ensuring my DCs didn't rely on the feed to go to sleep.

I think I changed routines at around 12-13 months, when they moved onto sippy cups. Story and milk together works well then.