Co-sleepers - what's your LO's bedtime 'routine'

[PickledLily]

Just wondering. LO is 12wo and is normally beside herself with tiredness by 8.30, but I am getting a bit fed up with 'going to bed' with her at 8.30pm (she can't self settle).

Is this just 'how it is' with co-sleeping or is there another way?

She's only tiny - I would just let her go to sleep downstairs (or wherever you usually are in the evenings) and then take her up with you when you go up later

At that age I would keep DS with me downstairs and he would sleep beside me on the sofa, in his Moses basket, or in my arms until I went up to bed. From about 5 months he became distracted and needed the dark so I fed him to sleep upstairs then when he was in a deep sleep crept away. Sometimes he woke and had to be resettled, but often he slept for the evening.

Problem is she only goes to sleep if attached to me and doesn't stay asleep downstairs; if she does go to sleep (rare) then she wakes up as soon as I move, and she gets very little sleep during the day as it is.

We've holiday coming up with ILs and I'm bracing myself for the comments although I may be glad to escape early by that point!

Are you trying to keep things quiet when she is napping in the daytime? Someone advised me to keep things noisy and normal. DD can now sleep through anything.

I agree with the other posters about keeping her downstairs with you. She will drop off when she needs to sleep. Some babies need less than others. My DD (now 2.5) and OH can manage on very little sleep whereas I need at least 8 hours to feel rested. Maybe you have someone like my DD? She will stay up until gone 9 when we're on holiday with no ill-effects, though on the plus side she will also sleep in until 9.00 a.m. so we get a lie-in at weekends.

Thanks for the replies. There is usually background noise in the house and it does help her sleep. Looks like I need to keep up it up until I'm able to put her down without her waking :(

pickled just had another thought. Babies take about 15 minutes to drop off into a deep enough sleep to not be disturbed by putting them down. If you are trying to put her down when she has just dropped off that might be the reason?

Can you feed her to sleep lying down then roll away?

Ds wouldn't sleep well in the evenings really until he got older. So I did what you did!

We've tried all sorts of timing and tricks, to no avail, she doesn't miss a trick :)
Have perfected feeding lying down, it's great isn't it. Means we both get a great nights sleep despite 3 feeds a night glosses over the nappy leaks as it's self service
The problem is her 8pm bedtime renders me useless - I'm marooned either in the bedroom or downstairs as she is like Velcro.

Well in a month it'll change I promise. Dd is 6 months and was the same. Now I have an evening. I just kept trying!

DS used to sleep in sling until his first night feed.

DS is 15 months and we're STILL in the same situation. Only I have to go to bed at 7.30pm. I've brought the telly into the bedroom. I should try and sort it out but I'm too tired...

Hmm, I'll keep persevering, although I'll lose the plot if this keeps going for 15months. How do you keep sane?!

LO has decided she no longer likes the sling (did I mention that already? Brain in a muddle). She's feeding at the mo, looking up at me with one eyebrow raised and a cross look as if to say "don't even think about putting me down".

at the raised eyebrow. I have to feed DD in the dark otherwise she starts batting my face as if to say "let's play".

I also found putting her down on her side much easier than on her back. She now sleeps on her tummy (she's very strong - now commando crawls). Less chance of waking.