3mo in bed at 7pm for first time - moral support!

[CookieTramp]

Until now 3mo DS2 has been napping on and off downstairs until I go to bed at 10. Sleep has been getting worse after being OK for a while (he's gone from 1-2 wake-ups per night to 3-4) so today I tried for a Gina Ford-style routine.

Despite not sleeping as long as GF says at the nap times, to my amazement he went to sleep at 7pm in the same room where he sleeps with me, in his hammock next to the bed. Bath, feed, singing and straight in. He protested and I popped in to whisper to him and stroke his head and then he went to sleep and is still asleep now despite daytime naps never exceeding 30 minutes. I can't believe it and am in a really tense state about what happens next.

Is it really possible this could work? Won't he just sleep even less during the night? Am I pi&£&@g away my sleep?

Reassurance required!

Sounds great, my DS did this from the day we came out of hospital .

Hope it lasts for you & that he sleeps happily.

Now you need to relax.

You need to start off with the 7pm bedtime anyway, he probably will wake a few times, but routine is the key. Just keep settling him back until morning and eventually he'll get the hang of it. Mine go to bed at 7 and get up at 7 ready for school / nursery. Thats what you're working towards, a good sleep for them and a break for you in the evenings.

Ragwort, I tried it about 6 weeks ago and it was a total washout. He would not sleep anywhere near the right times and I became a frustrated mess. I wanted a routine from day 1 but it wasn't gonna happen! Lucky you for getting it working from day 1!

I am strangely fretful which is ridiculous. I should be enjoying sitting downstairs baby-free but I'm not!

Oh I didn't get it right away. They went to bed at 7 on day 2, but often woke at 8, 10, 12, 2 and so on. But its about sticking to it anyway, between feeds, and keeping bedtime as bedtime. Eventually the sleeps get longer and the waking gets less. Mine finally slept through at 11 months, which I know is a long time away. But all the work put into it before that was to reach the ultimate goal. To sleep through!!
I figured when I brought dc home the first time that she wouldn't know bedtime was at 7, and start to feel tired then, unless I pushed her towards that by starting a bedtime routine.

SIDS guidance is that they should be in the same room as you for all naps/sleep until 6mo.

my ds used to go to bed at 6.30-7, then wake up at 10.30 and 2.30 at that age, so I guess you will still have a bit of an interrupted night, but if you get him into a routine at least you know what to expect, and you don't feel like you're being held hostage by a tiny terrorist! Hand holding and moral support here - I think you're being really sensible.

Currently on DC3 at 14 weeks and just slowly introducing routine bedtime at 7. Luckily settling downstairs still but we won't hesitate to put her upstairs if she is bothered by our lights/ tv or chatting.
My previous 2 weren't ready for any sort of routine till at least 10/12 weeks then It came easily with consistency.
Stick with it. They do get it eventually, you need your evenings.
Yes SIDS is same room for 6 months but we feel ok with regular checks before we go upstairs, not often after 9.30 anyway.

Thanks all. Update: he really did sleep 7pm-10pm, and just now doing dream feed. Happy to do a wake-up in the night and be up from 6 but hoping no worse than that! That will be so much better than the every 2 hours I've been getting.

Fingers crossed. I am going to stick at it but do feel bad about DS1 (5yo) who is downstairs alone for 45 mins while I bath, feed and settle his brother. That's sort of why I hadn't properly tried it before!