Bedtime routine for 9 week old

[lurcherlover]

Please help me! My 9 week old DS has no idea of the difference between day and night. He wants to play all night until 3am - no sleep at all before that time. He's not crying or distressed, just wants to grin at people, kick his legs etc. I haven't really got a routine at the moment - he is breastfed on demand and I bath him whenever I've got chance in the evening - and he stays downstairs with us until about 11, when I take him upstairs and attempt to soothe him and feed him to sleep. Clearly this isn't working! I would be really grateful for anyone's routines at this age and any tips for getting him to sleep when he is absolutely wide awake. I am going to start bathing him at the same time each day, then feeding him upstairs with soothing music and hoping he will settle to sleep. A few questions:

• should I try and keep him awake more in the day or will this make it worse?
• if he is wide awake, should I try leaving him in his cot or is this cruel? He doesn't tend to cry, just gurgles to himself. How long should I leave it if he doesn't go to sleep before going to pick him up?
• Any ideas what time I should start this routine in the evening?

All other tips welcome! We are getting desperate!

If you're feeding on demand, it will be tricky to get him into a rigid routine and not necessary.

There's nothing wrong with not bathing him every day. Many mums bath them in the morning; it doesn't mean, at that age, that they'll sleep any better for having a bath before they go to sleep. That's more likely at the toddle stage.

If he's only 9 weeks old and being fed on demand, then leaving him in his cot to cry is not needed either - otherwise, how would you know whether he needs a feed?

I would pick him up straight away if he's wailing but if he's just grouchy, perhaps change his position or show him another toy, put some music on etc and see if he stops crying.
Regards the evenings, try feeding him around 6/7 (if he normally feeds at that time), then putting him down to sleep until he wakes. Then feed him again etc. At only 9 weeks, it's highly unlikely he'll be a routine for a good while, although as he gets a bit older over the next few weeks, he may space out his sleeps/feeds a bit moer and you'll be able recognise what he wants a bit more.

We've had a bedtime routine since birth (although only did nightly baths from around 6 weeks when DD stopped being so scaley). Bathtime is around 5.30-6 then into sleepsuit, feed in her room with lights dim and into cot usually settled between 6.30-7. Sometimes DD falls asleep feeding othertimes she goes down awake. I think doing this routine every night let's her know it's night time and I rarely have trouble settling her. I disagree that it's unecessary at such a young age, although agree strict daytime routines aren't necessary. I think the younger you start the easier they are to
implement. If your LO isn't upset then I would leave him in his cot and help him to self settle. I wouldn't leave him crying though. If you do this consistently and don't give him lots of eye contact then he should soon learn that this is bedtime. If he does get upset then pick him up and resettle but don't start playing. hth

9 weeks is still early days, I found they settled more in to a pattern at 3 mths or so. But in preparation for 3 months, you might find it easier if you make the whole evening wind down time - as you were planning really, do the bath, then stay upstairs/in the room where he sleeps with the lights dimmed, keeping it quiet, with a feed and put him into cot. If he doesn't settle or needs feeding again, coming down to watch TV with you til 11pm might be confusing and exciting and you might want to try staying in the room with him during the evening just for a few weeks while he adjusts (I usually read a book by the dim light during this time).

jandmmum - are you breastfeeding?

Hello

Right no means an expert and I am not sure if it makes a difference as unfortunately I haven't been able to breast feed but my DD is 9 weeks this week and for the last 2 weeks I have introduced a bedtime routine. I bath her every night, not because she is dirty but because its getting her (and me)into the habit and she has really got to enjoy the bath now and I think it wears her out a little. Then I get her dry and dressed in her bedroom and do her final feed in there. Half way through the feed I will burp her then turn the lights right down, talked quietly and finish off her feed. I rarely (touch wood, please dont let me jinx it) have problems putting her down. We were doing exactly the same and bringing her back down in the living room before but it meant that she wasnt sleeping properly and we couldnt relax. Now I use baby monitor & angelcare mat. I feed her again around 10-1030 and go to bed at this time so I take her up to to our bed and keep everything nice and quiet.

Sorry to go on but hope this might help. :)