Tell me about your nighttime routine for your 7 week old? Should there be one?

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My ds goes down about 10.30/11 really when we are long to bed.

He wakes at 1.30, 4.30 and 7.00 for food - shouldn't he be sleeping for longer spells by now?

Should we be putting him in his crib around 7/8 each evening? A friend says we should but tbh I like him with me and he can snooze if he wants to.

Am interested to know what others do.

We did a bath and bottle at 6.30/7pm then dd was swaddled and down into her basket in the lounge. We still had the tv on but quietish,.and just lamps on, then at 10.30/11pm we would wake her, chamge her bum and give her another feed before all going to bed. She would then wake at 3am and then 7am.

At about nine/ten weeks we put her in our room from 7 (adjacent to the lounge), and then wake her or lift her out for a dreamfeed at 10.30/11. At this point she dropped the 3am.feed but would go til 6/6.30am.

Every baby is different so please disregard what ypur friend says - one size doesnt fit all. Also, I ff which I do think makes a difference to their sleep

He needs to be in the same room as you till 6 months.

He sounds like he's doing fine. Downstairs in the evenings with you is perfect at this age, and no, he shouldn't be going for longer periods overnight, and no he doesn't need to go in his cot at 7 every evening.

It was a long time ago but we just used to cuddle up on the sofa after dinner. She would fall asleep with me and then I'd go up to bed about 8.30 or 9.00, put her into her side-car cot next to me and then go to sleep with her, her hand wrapped around my little finger. If she was awake I would just let her see me shutting my eyes so she "learned" to go to sleep. She would wake about 11.00, 2.30 and 5 ish for a feed (bf) but as I had got the hang of lying down to sleep by then it didn't really disturb me too much. Some nights she would only have 2 feeds, and some nights just the one depending on whether she was going through a growth spurt.

Mine is almost 13 weeks and IMO it depends where you count 'night' from.. she feeds at about 8, sleeps for couple of hours (downstairs with us normally being cuddled rather than in her basket as she gets really windy so unless you keep her upright she gets really uncomfortable and screams) then feed/bum at 11-12, then sleep till about 3, quicker feed no bum, 6am, doze off for another hour 7:30am feed and get up.

So you could argue she sleeps through from midnight till 6 with just one feed, but to my mind until I get my 8 hours straight through back she isn't 'sleeping through' yet!

It seems to be a bit variable and my attempts to introduce the cot from early evening have so far not been successful, but I think that is mainly the wind waking her rather than the cot as such (arched back, clearly a lot of discomfort)

Mine doesn't sleep in the evening at all. She coos at her father and feeds feeds feeds from me... and just when you think she couldn't possibly want more feeding she howls again. Only cuddles with her father eventually persuade her to sleep in his arms at about 10.30pm. Transferring her to her basket is always a nervewraking process. She then feeds at 2 and at 5.

Mine howls most of the evening with occasional feeding intermissions. She usually does one stretch of 3 hours, and apart from that hourly - two hourly waking. So I have no good advice to offer except dark chocolate and digestive biscuits.

When i had ds1i was obsessed with bedtime routines and getting him in his cot at 7pm. This didn't really come naturally until around 6 months.

Ds2 is 12 weeks old and spends the evening feeding and watching us eat dinner. I am much happier this time round and far less stressed. Do whatever works for you :)

Ds went to bed at 7 in our bedroom at 7 weeks and still woke up every 2-3 hours he has went to bed between 6 and 7 every night since and didn't sleep well until 12mo he has only slept 4 nights through in his life (13.5mo now) so routine doesn't always mean better sleep.

I'm not sure how helpful this will be, but I keep a baby diary and this is how sleep went last week (7 weeks):

Sunday: Bath and changed @9, then wrapped up and fed downstairs. Slept in cot 10.30-5. First time DD managed 6+ hours!

Monday: Wash and change @9.15, then fed. Slept 10.50-4, 4.44-6.35.

Tuesday: Wash and change @9.30, then fed. Slept 11-4.45, sometime after 5-6.30.

Wednesday: Slept 10.50-5.

Thursday: Bath and change @9. Slept 10.30-3, 4-5.30.

Friday: Slept 10.30-4.20, 5.30-7.

Saturday: Late to bed. Slept 11.30-3.25, 4-6.

As you can see, we aim to start the proper bedtime process around 9 with some kind of washing and changing followed by a feed downstairs and be upstairs with her around 10 to continue feeding before putting her down in her cot. It really varies how long it takes to get her to sleep soundly and how much she naps during the evening. Some days she sleeps more than others. It's all a bit hit and miss at the moment! I count night as being from when we go up after 10 to when I give up in despair in the morning and take her downstairs. Never later than 7.30. She's nearly 9 weeks now and did 7.5 hours last night for the first time, so hoping for longer stretches.