I'm just wondering what rhythm/routine you have for breastfeed to sleep toddlers.

[hazchem]

DS 14 months. He sort of goes to sleep about 9:30pm this is far too late for me!

Our evenings go something like this
5ish dinner
5:45ish bath
6ish out of bath and long cream routine due to eczema (while watching CBeebies)
6:30ish OH comes come
7:30ish grown ups have dinner
Spend then the rest of the evening boob while watching tv and DS roams around the lounge room.

We don't co sleep but DS is on a mattress next to us and is feed during the night if he wakes me up.

I guess what I'd like is DS to go to bed at about 7:30 8sih with a bit of boob. how do i get from where we are to that without large amounts of tears for either me or DS.

It seems to me that there is a long delay between bath and then bed. Is there any way that you could put bath and bed a bit later so that going into bed comes straight after the bath and cream? Also I would do this without CBeebies on as it's a stimulant.

My DD is 6 months and has a bedtime of 8pm. This is our routine at the mo:

We've just got started on weaning so she has something to eat play with/throw on the floor at about 6

Then she's done at about 6.30 and I put her in her bouncer for wind down time. She likes to cuddle a toy and suck her finger and bounce herself and watch us do things in the kitchen.

At 7 / 7.15 I read her a story and then it's bathtime at about 7.15 / 7.30.

Then it's straight into our darkened bedroom where I dress her, put on some sea sounds and then give BF her lying down until she's not quite asleep and then transfer her to her cot.

It took us a while to get to this but essentially it was always bath, boob, bed.

When I had a 14 month old (now a 9 month and 3 year old), I did bath, pyjamas, story, milk in dark, bed. And once into the bath didn't go back to general living areas so the bath really drew a line under the day.

You could just do this nearer 9:30 and then every day take it a little earlier. Combine this with getting toddler up earlier and you'll get there quickly.

How long does he sleep at night? If you calculate that its ten or eleven hours then you can wake him up ten minutes earlier each day and out him to bed ten minutes earlier.

I'd say 20 mins for a bath, 5 for dressing, 5 for story and milk so no more than 40 minutes in total?

Hi,
I have an 8 month old and I breastfeed him to sleep.
I have tried to get into a routine but every day is so different It's impossible to stick to times.

Times are round about.
4:30-5:30 dinner sometimes he's still eating at six. Breastfeed.
Then sits in his chair whilst I cook, then we eat around 6:30. Breastfeed.
I don't bath him every night simply because I don't have the time and it dries his skin.
Bath aound 7:30 if not bathing I take him to our dark room (we co-sleep), wash him with a flannel, brush teeth, get pyjamas on (whilst his music is playing with light show), read a book, More music, Then breastfeed to sleep. Sometimes he's asleep within 10 minutes, sometimes it can take an hour, but always has to feed to sleep. Tonight he went to sleep at 9 despite starting all this at 7:30.
He wakes between 4 and 8 times per night.
I can't get him to stick to times, so I've just relaxed about it more and resigned to the fact that this is how it's going to be.
Hope you work it out! :)

I've a 12mo who nurses to sleep (and for naps). Textbook high needs baby too.

Hazchem- your routine wouldn't work for us because of the tv/roaming around after bath. I suspect your routine is like that so your DS is officially ready for bed when your OH gets home so you can have dinner together.

I read somewhere, Pantly's NCSS maybe, that at least one hour before bed and much longer for some children needs to be real wind-down time. No meals, no TV, no bright lights, no rough-and-tumble games... I've found that DS responds well to this and a predictable bedtime ritual. I can manipulate the actual time he goes to bed now, usually quite well. And this is a baby who "is not a sleeper". Anyway, for info our routine is bath anytime after 7pm and then it's wave bye bye to the bath, sleepsuit and sleeping bag on, pull the blinds down in his room, nurse to sleep, and my night begins by 8pm. I kid you not, the NTS part used to take up to 3 hours and now it's often a token 5 mins and he'll often pop off and be happy to have a dozy cuddle before I move him into his cot. I'm happy with a 7-8pm bedtime; it used to be earlier but he woke ridiculously early in the morning and wanted mum to play too.

Thanks so much for the replies.
A lot to think about.

I think we might cut out the TV in the evening. I like the idea of bath and then not back into the living room as you suggested Tertius

I'm thinking maybe not giving him yogurt at dinner time so I could delay the bath until just before bed.

I think I might re-borrow NCSS from library

Orchidee you are right about doing it like that so we can have dinner. OH need to have a shower when he get's in from work ( he cycles). I might also try to cook dinner after DS has had his but not had his bath.

Tonight starts with the no TV!

I think have dinner so finish eating about 6ish

when oh gets home do bath - oh could bath while you prepare dinner

from bath straight to be - you and oh can take turns while the other tidies away and finishes cooking of dinner

you eat and do tv when dc is in bed.

our routine is
4pm df back from work -play with ds
5pm df pres dinner for all 3 of us
5.30/6pm dinner
7pm df baths ds and I tidy up
7.30/8pm I take ds up to bed - we bf to sleep and cosleep (I mn for a bit :-))