Does anyone think removing bath from bedtime routine helped LO sleep better?

[EmmaLL25]

Just that really. Thinking about trying changing time/order/removing bath. Days where we've not had time get longer initial sleep - could just be due to the busy day that's meant not enough time for bath.

sorry no advice but I'm interested myself, I find it tends to wake my DS up more that relax him!

Not sure to be honest but I can tell you that I am currently trying to move bathtime to evening and away from morning. I find it a pain in the morning and seems to take me ages to get organised and out the house.

Plus, in winter I always think she must be freezing going from a hot bath out in to the cold.

No bath worked well for mine once they got a bit older ( ie, about 4/5 yr) , but as babies the bath was necessary. Messy buggers, they were.

We do bath then pyjamas then back out to living room for quiet play (usually an hour or so) then teeth and bed.

It means that on the days we don't have time for a bath it's not a problem. Plus sometimes the bath just gives him an energy boost!

We do bath, story and bf. LO is 6 months old. He's very lively in bath but once he's out he's desperate for feed and sleep - this is regardless of how early/late we start routine.

I've never noticed a difference but ds seems to find his bath relaxing, I can imagine other babies getting very excited and getting an adrenaline rush!

Watching with interest. Last night after fireworks it was just too late so we skipped it, and she slept through for the first time in 2.5 months. Just when I'm at my wits end, I cling to hope we've found a solution. Most likely a coincidence.

Come to the conclusion no difference here!

Did few nights no bath and some he slept ok others not. Had bath last night and put himself to sleep and did first 3 hours without settling (unheard of in our house).

So I'm still looking for the magic answer!

I'm a bit late with this response, but we found eliminating the book/story helped our routine - we realised it was far too stimulating for our DS. Instead we've substituted a peaceful lullaby iPod mix. We play this while he's having his last feed - two birds, one stone for very sleepy babes. Works a treat. And now you can feel a physical shift in DS when he hears the opening bars of the first song - he knows BF and 'sleepytime' has arrived!

Ditch the bath. Never knew a child who was made sleepy by a bath, so it just makes the bedtime routine longer.

Agree with shouty momma..... A baby doesn't need a daily bath.... A wipe down is adequate and then an occasional bath.

DD is 10 weeks old.

She is in bath at 6pm,
feeding by 6.30
zonked out at 7.

Sleeping through until 4am- I would be reluctant now to change anything- she only had 2oz of milk at 4am this morning so im hoping that she will soon not need feeding at all in the night.

No - m

Posted too soon

Mine goes tits up is she dosnt have her bath. Even if we've be held up she still has to have it.

Mine also loves the bath - he knows it's the first step to bedtime. And it's an opportunity to expend his last bit of energy for the evening. He comes out of the bath relaxed and happy. You needn't use soap if you're concerned about your baby's skin, warm water is just fine.

Btw, our bedtime routine is a half hour - start to cot:

Bath
Goodnight hugs to the family
Nappy & Pjs
Lights dimmed
iPod lullaby mix & BF
Into cot, sleepy but awake
Lights out

Around 6 months, my DD was absolutely inconsolable after a bath- just cried and cried. You don't specify whether this is the problem, but anyway, it put me right off bathing her! She grew out of it in a couple of months, and at 9 months is now very cheery after a bath. But as a result, I still only do it 3 times a week, which horrifies my mum. But I don't think she's dirty (or not often, anyway!)

Just had to add my experience - my boy is now 4 and HAS to have a shower/bath every night before bed (he does mucky play at school so he needs it!) but he wants one regardless, even if we had a late-ish evening out for dinner, he has to have a shower as it's part of his routine, he doesn't believe he's going to bed without it.
However when he was a baby (probably from about 4 weeks to about 4-5 months) he had a bath in the morning as I found even if he was very tired and ready for bed, a bath would wake him up and bedtime would be put back by at least a couple of hours.
I think it's about finding what's best for you, and works for your child

My DD was a great sleeper after we moved the bath to the morning, was just too much fun before bed. Is also the time she most needs it, having been in the same nappy for 12 hours.

Thanks for replies, as I said I was just curious. Wee man loves his bath and one of us goes in with him so nice skin to skin contact time.

He's settling to sleep fine, just not staying asleep!

The idea between a bath being potentially good for inducing sleep is that it can produce a fall in the body temperature, so there is some grounding to it but as anything it depends on the individual.