Trying to encourage a sleep routine with a 7 week old - am I sleep-walking?

[SMH]

Any views on musical dream-show type aids? What about bathtime before bed - it just seems to wake baby up more! My husband and father suggest letting baby cry-it-out but I'm not so keen. Any advice much appreciated - none more so than by baby Daniel!

I used a dreamshow (without the lights - it ate batteries!) till my ds was about 10 months old. The one I had was annoying in that it was clockwork and had to be wound up, the running time being only 5 minutes. So we graduated to using a very soothing lullaby tape on a tape-player with auto reverse so it just kept going. He still associates this type of music with sleeping now he's 3 so we still use it.

I brought the Fisher Price aquarium light and sounds for my dd after it was recommended by a friend. I would highly rate it, it has a choice of different lullabies and nature sounds but to be honest I think it is the little fish swimming around in the water that send her off into the land of nod !!

My dd loves her musical dreamshow- but unfortunately it sends her hyper as she thinks it's so funny, and she gets so excited that she goes from being a happy smiley baby to a screaming overstimulated baby in seconds! We still use it but only for her playtimes! Although I do think that my dd is in the minority. I'm recommending this book everywhere at the moment, but I've just read "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley which is available from Amazon. She doesn't promise instant results but personally I prefer it to some other books. It gives you ideas to develope your own routine, including ones like the lullaby idea that MandyD mentions, so that you don't end up feeling like you're running a boot camp! I agree about the bath, too -our dd wakes up and starts playing, although I also find that a bath is good to stop her crying if she has got herself in a state and won't stop. Our dd is still all over the place re sleep so we haven't yet discovered the best time for her bath in relation to bedtime.

My ds gets very excited with his dream show - not so good for bedtime but great as a distraction at nappy changes.
If he has an evening bath he will take a good hour to wind down before getting sleepy compared to 20mins normally. I'm not at home during the day so haven't tried bathing him earlier, I just don't bath him every night.

I usually massage my ds (4 months) before bed, in a quiet room with soft music (on our bed usually) before he gets into his pj's, has a final feed and goes off to sleep. He really seems to find it soothing rather than stimulating (we bath him in the morning as he gets so excited by the whole process). It could be worth a go! I went to classes run in the maternity ward after ds was born, but had also done it with dd, just using a book - I would recommend 'Infant Massage' by Vimala McClure (youcan get it from Amazon). I am still also massaging my nearly 2 1/2 yr old dd - it is one of the nicest times of the day for us. I'd strongly recommend it!