How old was your baby when he/she didn't go to bed when you did, but was put to bed at a certain time

[emkana]

Just curious, that's all!

For the record, ds is still mostly with me or dh during the evening, sleeping on our lap/on the sofa.

Was the same with dd2, with dd1 I had notions of bedtime routines at an early age.

I guess I'll start putting ds into bed "properly" when he's coming up for say - 10 months?

DS1 about 7 weeks or so when we noticed that he always fell asleep at 7 ish anyway.

DS2 about 5 months - preferred feeding all evening to going to bed but he's 3 now and goes to bed at 7pm without any problem

We did it from birth. She woke through the night untill she was about 6 weeks old. Now (10.5mth) she goes to bed at 7pm and unless i wake her she will sleep through to about 9am the next morning. DH says this is down to me I regularly go to bed at 8pm for a good 11/12 hours sleep.

ds about two months
dd from about a week, at the same time ds went

About 6 weeks because he naturally conked out at around 7pm anyway, and I wondered why we kept him downstairs with us when he may as well be zonked in his crib, and give us a little breathing space.

Totally disagree with anyone who says not setting a bedtime routine at age dot means probs later - have several friends whose babies were nightowls to begin with but by around a year were going down at 7ish.

I think probably important to have established a routine before they get into toddler years and can protest, though.

I always feel tantrums during the day are copable with because I know come 7pm DS will be out like a light.

If I had to deal with a stroppy 2 year old until 11pm every night I would have been sectioned by now.

Both about 3-4 months, I think. Hard to remember. I read a book that persuaded me that because humans have evolved to walk upright and therefore female humans find it harder to give birth through their narrower pelvis, babies are actually born about 3 months "too soon" (because there was a biological need for them to be born when they were still just about small enough to go through the pelvis). I always felt that they were especially tiny and needy until 3 months so I just couldn't countenance the idea of them being upstairs in a dark room on their own - and infact they stayed up with us until my bed-time (usually about 11pm), and they often weren't asleep in the evening. No problems at all getting them into a bed-time routine when I felt the time was right, though, and both of them were pretty good sleepers (I now realise) after that.

From birth. Well, I tried from birth anyway. If they didn't settle, I stayed in the dark with them! Only took a week or two - well worth it.

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About 8 weeks.

Changed our lives!!

DS about 8 weeks
DD later than that but can't remember when .

from birth & still works nearly 3 yrs on - I'd go insane without my evening to myself!

about 6 or 8 weeks. might try a bit earlier this time though! it's a really personal thing though and something i feel it is useless to compare notes on. just do what you feel comfortable with emkana i'm sure you are doing a grand job

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I tried to get her down at 7 from birth. It has been a bit hit and miss sometimes for various reasons (e.g. in July she was too hot). It went badly wrong for a month or so when she would scream for 3 hours when I put her to bed... even if I went and picked her up again. In the end I abandoned the notion of bedtime and concentrated on exhausting her all day long. The result of this has been that she is completely knackered by ... 7pm, when I put her to bed. Would all have been much easier if she had gone along with what I wanted to start with, but I guess that is babies for you...

All of these things depend on what you can live with. When I go back to work I will need some baby-free time in the evening to work and to get ready for the next day, so it is just as well she has a bedtime, but if I was staying at home I guess I might be more flexible about it.

Son is 19wks, been going to bed at 6-6.30pm a while now. Bath, boob and bed...best bit of the day!

about...4 months. He would fall asleep on my lap and hed stay there until I went to bed, but, at 4 months he fed to sleep in bed. The id sneak out

ah, "certain time"... still not. I put him to bed when hes tired 6.30-8.30 (usually 7-7.30ish). So, still not at 7 months

Whenever you and the baby are ready I'd say do it then.

I would say though that babies need a lot of sleep so I'd only do this if my baby was sleeping well in this situation and didn't seem too tired during the day.

I know that from a very early age ds had real trouble sleeping if there was anything going on at all (including TV etc). He generally slept from about 5/6pm until 11pm from an early age and I would put him in the cot after he fell asleep so that he slept well.

If your ds seems well rested then go on spending time with him as long as it works for both of you.

My worry would not be that he won't sleep in his bed later or any 'rod for your own back' nonsense. It would purely be concern that my child was getting enough good quality sleep when he needed it.

If babies go to bed really late and then have to get up early (eg for school runs or because mum works etc) then they may not be getting enough sleep. That is the ONLY reason I used to put ds in his cot for the night when he seemed tired. Once he was asleep he always seemed to sleep better and for longer there.

Well, my 11-month-old still doesn't have a 'proper' bedtime. He does take long naps during the day, but tends to go to bed around the time we do or a bit before. But he sleeps in our bed, so perhaps that's why we do things a bit differently. I daresay he'll start having his own bedtime fairly soon, though, definitely before he's two. But it's nice to have him lively and happy in the evenings so he gets to see more of his father.

Bedtime at 7pm in own room from birth pretty much. Now at 19 months, it's between 6:30 and 7:00pm.

DS1, from about 2 weeks; DS2 from birth (both 7pm)

Another vote for the '7pm from birth' camp.
Did this with DS, now 4, and DD 4 months.

Another vote for the '7pm from birth' camp.
Did this with DS, now 4, and DD 4 months.