How to keep a baby awake

[Willow4987]

Hi! I’m trying to get into some sort of routine with my 8 week old little boy.

I know a full routine isn’t realistic but I want to at least have a bedtime routine as at the moment he won’t go down until 11-12pm every night...I want this to be closer to 7-8pm so that I have some sort of evening with my husband and the baby starts to understand bedtime

I’ve read some advice to say get them up at 7am every day and work on 2 hour awake time between each nap which then helps them to have enough awake time in the day so that they go to bed at a more normal time. I think this has been our issue as he’s asleep so much in the day that he has all his awake time in the evening.

So my question is, once he’s fed he goes to sleep but I need to keep him awake. How do I do this?

I’ve tried letting him sleep and then having awake time after naps before his feed but that isn’t working as he’s demand fed

@Willow4987 the only thing i have always done is to make sure she sleeps lots during the day as they say 'sleep breeds sleep'. The more she sleeps in the day the better she sleeps at night.

I've always just put her down after a feed and gone downstairs, give her 5 mins of whinging, then if needed i go and shh and re-settle. At 8 weeks, she used to pretty much be asleep by end of feed anyway so just put her in the cot. I'd put her in her sleeping bag before feeding so she was ready for bed. Room is pitch black and silent so she knows its night time.

I went through maybe 10 days or so of whinging/crying and resettling her but she would always be asleep by 7:30. Now no fussing.

My point is, if you want her to go to bed, then pick a realistic routine and stick to it.

Oh and i've rarely put my baby down asleep, she goes down awake and puts herself to sleep, always has since 6/7 weeks.

@Lazypuppy Appreciate that everyone has their own way of doing things, but OPs baby is only 8 weeks so not recommended to leave them to sleep on their own at that age.

@Creatureofthenight

Appreciate that everyone has their own way of doing things

I do. The OP asked for advice, i'm saying what i did, and OP asked me what i did. My LO was going to sleep in her moses basket upstairs by 5 weeks without us, and in her own room by 8 weeks.