Advice needed - cutting out bf and need to change bedtime routine!

[PPL]

I want to stop the bedtime BF. Ds is 16 mo.

He gets so drowsy and almost falls asleep on the boob, but then seems to get a second wind when I put him in his cot and it can take up to an hour to wind him back down again.

Current routine is this: (all approx)

5pm dinner

6pm In the Night Garden, with 150ml cows milk. He gets really drowsy but then gets a second wind for bath and can be a bit hyper. I think this needs to go, but I'll miss it, I love curling up with him on the sofa!

630pm bath and brush teeth
645 pjs, story and bf in our bed in our room (dh&i)

7pm bf then bed in his own room.

It then takes an hour of faffing around in his cot before he'll settle, but goes mental when I leave. I think cuttin out the bf might help with this, and also it means others can do bedtime.

So I was thinking, if I cut out the tv and went straight from dinner to bath at 545, would he be tired enough? Possibly not, but he wouldn't have had the chance to wind down then up again so it could work... Then stories in his room with cup milk, teeth brushed and straight into bed.

What do your bedtime routines consist of and do you have any suggestions? Where do you read stories - in chair or in bed? I also am worked about how he'll react to a change of routine, so have been putting it off for months. Waiting for a time DH can be around all weekend so that he can do bedtime for a few nights - think it might help with the lack of bf...

Thanks in advance...

[PPL]

Thanks for the replies. We've decided to just go for it, change the routine to dinner, bath, milk, stories and bed. Daddy is upstairs now attempting the first night. He has put him to bed no probs once before but a while ago and I was out and nowhere to be seen. Am sat here Feeling so nervous! I miss my little man and our bedtime bf already and it's only night one!

[fififrog]

Can't comment on routine change ad we have done the exact same thing since 8 months, but you also asked for our routines, so here it is. DD is 19 months.

5.30/5.45/6.00 dinner (depending on how hungry and how organised)
6.15 milk only about one in five days at the moment
Play, read, talk, whatever for 45mins or so
6.45 upstairs for bath, often don't have it ready til near 7.00
Teeth while drying
7.15ish PJs + sleeping bag
Story on chair next to cot
7.30 bed

Until 16 months bath was 6.30 and shorter, everything compressed so bed at 7pm. Moved it later by half an hour adage used to wake 5-5.30. Now she wakes at 6am most days.

HTH

[fififrog]

Can't comment on routine change ad we have done the exact same thing since 8 months, but you also asked for our routines, so here it is. DD is 19 months.

5.30/5.45/6.00 dinner (depending on how hungry and how organised)
6.15 milk only about one in five days at the moment

6.45 upstairs for bath

[lorisparkle]

This sounds so much like what we went through with DS1. Anyway we ended up giving him his milk at tea time (5.30pm) then going straight to the bedtime routine.

Bath, brush teeth, stories in bedroom, then bed.

We did the 'gradual withdrawl, gradual retreat' method with DS1 from the 'Teach your child to sleep book'.

We started with sitting with him on our laps for a story then singing and rocking him until he went to sleep. We always had stories on our lap until he was in a normal bed.

I was amazed how quickly he adapted to a new routine and once we made our mind up it just seemed to happen.

I would make sure your daytime routine / naps are at the right time so he is tired but not overtired at bedtime.