Routine and SIDS

[ZK2020]

A question of two parts really... the first being at what age did you start to introduce routine and the second how so, as routine suggests putting baby to bed at certain time etc but SIDS advises that they are in the same room as you until 6 months old.

I have a 4 week old baby (not stressing about routine at all just now but just looking for info/people’s thoughts). We have a next to me crib at the moment. He stays with us downstairs napping/feeding following his lead at the moment and he comes up to bed with me when I go up.

Routine doesn’t mean meaning putting a baby down. It means doing the same things in the same order every night. It doesn’t even mean the exact same time, if your baby has a later afternoon nap then they will need a later bedtime. I can’t remember with DD1 but with DD2 she was having a bath at a set time from 8 weeks because she was in with her sister then she would feeding and snooze downstairs on me until I went to bed.

With my first she started to have a bedtime from about 9-10 weeks but it was about 9pm so I just used to go to bed at the same time and watch TV on my tablet. She started having more of a 7pm bedtime from about 4.5/5 months and then she went upstairs for a couple of hours by herself and then I'd go up. We had a video monitor and I'd pop up regularly to check she was ok. Obviously this doesn't follow the guidelines but we followed pretty much all the other guidelines so felt ok with the decision. She was easily disturbed so needed a dark, quiet environment to sleep in and this was the only way we could manage it awaits flaming

I kept my daughter with me. Then about 12 weeks she had a 7pm bed time in the travel cot in the living room with me and I took her up when I went up. She was on her own at bed time from 6 months.

@Ticklemynickel this sounds like what I had in mind! We only have a small house I’d be comfortable with him in bed with monitor for a short while when he’s a bit older!

As @Thatwentbadly says I suppose I’ve linked routine with him being straight to bed upstairs but the routine can start with out that can’t it and be introduced later.

Thanks @Tyranttoddler thats helpful

I think you always question if you’re doing the right thing whatever you do so this is helpful thanks!

I think the reality is you weigh up likelihood of risk with the circumstances of normal life and you do what suits your family best.

I have three children and started doing a routine between about 4-6 months with all of them, still followed SIDS guidance though.

With both my children I started implementing a routine of sorts at about 4 months. They went to bed at 7pm-ish and I went up at the same time, put my earphones in and watched films/programmes on my phone.

I stopped going up to bed with them when they were about 7-8 months.

I got both of mine into a routine of sorts from two weeks. I agree with what a previous poster said - you have to minimise all known
SIDS risks but also have something that works for your sanity.
My baby simply would not nap in a bright noisy room and I did not want to sit quietly in a dark room with her for hours. So she napped alone and I checked on her regularly. That is against official SIDS guidelines of keeping the baby with you at all times but the alternative was neither of us ever getting any rest.
I also moved them into their own bedrooms at night from 4/5 months.