Would I be stupid to do this?

[gaffamate]

5 month old DS keeps waking every 20 mins after I've put him down for the evening. Once I'm up in bed he's fine or if he's sleeping on me downstairs he's also fine. My thinking is that it's too quiet upstairs as he's used to us watching TV whether he's up or downstairs with us while he drifts off.

Would I be stupid to leave talk radio or audiobooks on for him just in the hour or so before we to to bed? he doesn't seem to respond to white noise or music, I think he's specifically used to talking in the background. Will I end up with a baby who can't sleep without chatter? Will the world end? Any other suggestions to reclaim my evening so I'm not spending all evening resettling him?

My DD was/is such an awful sleeper so I feel clueless!

My DD was a horrendous sleeper and didn't sleep through until she was 3.5 and up till recently she had problems (she's now 8)
I did a radio when she was small, usually just the football so it's was talking rather than music.
She's always had to have some kind of background noise but as soon as she got into reading she would listen to audio books which she loves and it only now we've moved and she is temp sharing with her little brother she doesn't have them as he can't sleep with noise.
It may cause you to have a child that 'needs' the noise but I never had a problem with it, better that that her getting in and out of bed for several hours, she at least would settle and start to wind down

It's not the noise. He just wants to be with you.

Easier to have a child who needs noise than one who needs silence!

It's worth a try, OP. He might want your specific company, but he might just find the low chatter of voices soothing. All you can do is give it a whirl!

Yes I'd give it a go. When I was a kid I always had to go to sleep listening to audiobooks and then I just grew out of it myself without prompting. Even if he does need it for a few years it won't be forever

@WhiskersPete yes I'm very aware of that and happy to accommodate -my DD was a velcro baby and weve waited it out and done everything she needed, but I feel DS needs to get used to a proper bedtime rather than napping on and off all evening on me. His daytime naps are sporadic and always interrupted by DD as it is (which probably doesn't help bedtimes because he's far too overtired). Much that I'd love to take the easy route and just have him sleep on me downstairs it's not a long term solution and I'm back to work soon so need to start being able to work evenings too. We are only really talking about 7-9 before I get exhausted and need to sleep anyway!

I think I might try the audiobook tonight and will report back.

Isn’t waking up after 20 mins a sign of being over tired? Is he napping enough during the day? Are you putting him to bed at night early enough?

Yes, he's definitely over tired. And no, he's not napping enough or getting put to bed early enough but I'm finding it a real struggle to let him have long enough naps at the right times around school run and clubs that DD goes to. He basically is lumped in and out of car seats all day and he may or may not fall asleep for a bit. Sometimes he'll stay asleep, other times he'll take 10 mins and wake again. So by 6pm he's strung out, but then I need to be doing DD's dinner and getting her into bed. I've tried to do a 'family bedtime' at 7 where we all get into my bed and I do stories, he then goes into his cot, she then goes into her bed. But I admit it is too late. I have no idea how to get round that though.