Bedtime routine for combo fed babies

[rachel200811]

Bedtime routine for combo fed babies wondering what age you introduce a bedtime routine? My son is 7 weeks and is combi fed. He has a bath between 7pm and 8pm and my hubby does a massage and puts his pjs on. This is followed by a BF cuddle and then swaddled and put in his 'next to me' cot with a light projector and white noise machine while we watch TV quietly in bed next to him for a while. He goes 4 hours between feeds on average. Should I not stay in the room with him or is it not an issue at this stage, if not when will it be? As he has a dummy I feel we would be up and down continuously if we went downstairs! Sometimes we go to sleep when he does about 8.30! Lol. Thoughts and sample day/night routines for combination fed babies would be awesome please.

He is maybe too young to be left upstairs alone for hours. I think recommended guideline is 6 months, although I think SIDS risk drops after 3 months. I'm a believer in doing what you feel is right though. Why are you concerned about staying I the room with him? Do you want him to self settle? Sounds like he's doing amazingly for 7 weeks.

Babies shouldn't sleep alone until they are 6 months old. I kept mine downstairs until around 5 months, then started doing what you are doing, bedtime routine upstairs. Once they were 6 months I would put them to bed and go back down. (And up, and down.....)

My 1st was ebf but the second had a bottle at bedtime. It meant (theoretically) that anyone could pit him to bed.

All babies up until the age of 6 months really should sleep in a moses basket or crib in the same room that there parents are in to reduce the risk of sudden infant death - look at the Lullaby Trust for more info. You can still start a routine by putting your baby down to sleep awake ( but sleepy) and doing bathtime before bed but they are too little to do anything else at this age. Enjoy your time with your baby they get big so quickly

Wow ok this is great thanks everyone! I thought what I was doing was right but was worried that I was keeping him from settling properly until I went to sleep. This is my first rodeo!!! He goes 4 hours at a time between feeds but as it takes an hour to feed, burp and change him then up to an hour to settle him so he only sleeps for 2 hours before the next wake. He is super tiny still though. I just want reassurance that I'm doing right by him. Any other conbi feeding amd night sleeping advice is welcome!! X

To clarify he is in a next to me crib attached to my bed which is where he will stay until 6 months of course. It was the couple of hours between his bedtime and mine that I was questioning but I'm clear now that I'm doing that bit right. I'd still love to see some combi feeding day/night routines if anyone has one to share? X

I personally did exactly what you described, and put him down to sleep in his cot upstairs from 8 weeks. The alternative was him screaming from 6pm to 1am.

The major risk factor for sids is front sleeping. Read Emily ostler's crib sheet, the studies don't really find no adult presence in the room much of a risk factor.