bedtime routine - any suggestions

[sleepymama]

Hi all. My ds is nearly six weeks old and generally feeds (bottle) every four hours. I am struggling with the bedtime routine as we have been doing bath bottle bed (in moses basket downstairs with us) but he screams hysterically through his bath time as he is hungry. I have thought about splitting the feed and giving half before his bath and then half afterwards but he tends not to wake from his nap until 6.15 ish which means that he is ready for a full feed. I am also concerned as I am trying to keep him awake for longer but he is a sleepy baby during the day no matter how hard I try and always wakes demanding a feed and screaming. He is not happy to do anything other than feed when he wakes up. Have I just got a v grumpy baby (as DS 1 was a placid child) or is there any advice for me?

I don't think you can force them into a routine at that age
they are not grumpy babies just because they wake up hungry
just try to go with the flow
things usually settle into a routine at around 12 weeks

thanks compo - do you think i should continue to bath him before his feed when he cries continually or give him his feed first?

Hi Sleepymama,

I would feed first, bath second. Even the strictest of childcare experts tend to recommed 8weeks before pushing a routine.

I wouldn't necessarily bath every day so young tbh. Water can be really drying and it's such a faff!

I didn't bath my DS at all for the first month! (Just washed him with warm water.) Then I started to bath him at about 5 weeks. He really didn't like it & I only bathed him about 3 times a week. I gradually increased it after about another 4 weeks as he started to get used to baths & stop crying during each one. He's now 15 weeks and has a bath most nights. He is also a very sleepy baby & sometimes if he seems too sleepy for a bath & I think it will disrupt his "getting ready to sleep for the night" I leave the bath (unless he REALLY needs it) & just wash him down.
I stick to wash (of kinds), bedtime clothes,story & feed. Then I put him down & we do a lullaby (usually with the help of a musical teddy. I kiss him & leave the room.
It works a treat with him.
I think its very much trial & error as each bub is very much an individual.

Good luck.
x