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Original poster

when did you start settling your dc upstairs in the evening rather than keeping them downstairs with you

35 replies

Tutter · 01/10/2007 21:17

ds2 10 weeks old

cannot muster the energy to come up with a strategy for convincing him 7pm is bedtime

he's asleep in a bouncy chair in front of me right now

oddly, he'll settle in his cot like a dream after his 10pm feed, but when i tried the same at 7pm one night last week it was Bad

rememebr spending many an hour settlin ds1 upstairs. do not have the energy or enthusiasm to the same again with ds2

OP posts:
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SpacePuppy · 01/10/2007 21:19

I did it from word go, although I'm in a bungalow and didn't need to get up stairs, but I feel it helped him to know there was a routine, bath, dress, feed, sleep.

TheDuchess · 01/10/2007 21:19

oh ages, because he used to breastfeed all evening. I think what we did was have him sleep downstairs and then come up with us. I think we moved him up in the evening at around 3/4 months.

TheDuchess · 01/10/2007 21:20

am also a bit rubbish at routines. I waited for him to settle into his own routine at own pace.

liath · 01/10/2007 21:20

dd - 3 months
ds - 5 months

Bodkin · 01/10/2007 21:22

Tutter - mine just started settling at 7pm at around 10 weeks, so you might find it happens any day now! Sometimes takes up to 20 mins to get her to go off, other nights she goes straightaway. She usually wakes after 45 mins and protests gently for a minute or so, then drops back off again.

CHOCOLATEPEANUT · 01/10/2007 21:25

1 week old. Bath and bed at 6pm and then put in crib in our room 7pm with monitor on.Moved to own room at 3 months.

Now aged 4 and still bath and bed routine but bd at 8pm now after Nick jnr ends!

loler · 01/10/2007 21:27

dd - 6 weeks
ds1 - 4 weeks
ds2 is 5 weeks and likely to be settled upstairs by the time he's 18 (maybe). Like you have neither the energy or will to be bothered to get him into a routine! Got all the baby books out to read about what I'm meant to be doing but they keep sending me to sleep. Hoping it will all sort itself out!

daisyandbabybootoo · 01/10/2007 21:30

Around 9 weeks....we had been on holiday for two weeks and she was settling in hte travel cot about 9pm. Before the holiday she was cluster feeding all evening, sometimes till eleven at night. I tried putting her in the crib in our room at about 8 when we got back and she wouldn't settle. One night I tried her in her cot in her own room and she drifted off chuntering at the wallpaper. We've never looked back since.

Bumblelion · 01/10/2007 21:36

1st born - upstairs in bed at decent time - say 8 pm - by about 6 weeks, if I remember well, although did 10 pm feed upstairs - but then I knew I was going back to work (needs must!) when she was 12 weeks

2nd born - upstairs and in bed by about 8 weeks, again went back to when he 12 weeks old

3rd born - upstairs and in bed by 8 weeks again, as went back to work when 12 weeks old

When they first started sleeping upstairs, they slept in a swinging crib by my bed, but got them into their own room (next door) by 10 weeks or so.

My DD1 (now 14) still likes her sleep.
My DS1 (now 10) is still not too bad at sleep, although trying to get him into bed now! (Now gone while typing this message!).
My DD2 (now 5) likes her sleep, when she was about 9 months old, she still slept about 20 hours a day - not good I know now - delayed development, not caused through so much sleep, but so much sleep was a symptom of her syndome.

The earlier they are into their routine, the easier it is.

Although saying all of the above, I must admit I was not a late one to go to bed myself - nor am I now!

coleyboy · 01/10/2007 21:41

I started the 6pm feed, bath, feed, bed routine at about 3 weeks. Although I wished I had waited a bit longer as I'm not sure he was ready for it.

DS (14 mo) still has the same sort of routine now.

massivebigpantsface · 01/10/2007 21:45

About 3 months. Before that dd would fall asleep bf about 10.30 every night. I started to try and settle her in her cot a bit earlier each night until we made it to 7pm. It took about a fortnight i think.

God, she did not like it the first few nights! I stayed with her all the time, trying to soothe her until she fell asleep. The first night was about an hour, one night took about and hour and a half! Eventually it only took about 10 -20 mins before she fell asleep.

Thelittlesoldiersmummy · 01/10/2007 21:48

My DS was 6 months it was when he went into his own room before that he slept in his bouncy chair until i went to bed. Do what feels right for you there is no rule as to what age or what time they should go to bed dont beat yourself up about it if you have no energy dont worry 10 is fine

stealthsquiggle · 01/10/2007 21:50

Definitely more than 10 weeks. At about the same time we moved her to the cot bed because she didn't fit in the crib any more so - guessing - about 4 -5 mths?

I think (as far as the porridge brain can recall) it was about the same with DS. Neither had any problems with the change, so I don't even slightly regret leaving it that long.

splishsplosh · 01/10/2007 21:51

Wow, you are all so organised. My dd wouldn't settle till late for months. I was (sorry to have to admit this) a bb fan, and I gave up the endless struggle to have her fall asleep as I missed it every evening, so used to just have her downstairs, and feed her till it was over - guess that was about 9pm - and since she was born in January, this must have been going on when she was over 6 months old. She never did sleep well though till the following February, and I am a go with the flow girl (one who was also extremely exhausted for a year!)

stealthsquiggle · 01/10/2007 21:55

Oh and DD (now almost 12mths) still doesn't go to bed at anything which would be recognised as "bedtime" - she is at nursery all day, is full of beans in the evening, and TBH it is the only time DH and I get to spend with her, so 9pm+ is fine with us. It only becomes a real issue, IMO, when they stop having a sleep in the daytime.

jodie84 · 01/10/2007 21:57

I was really, really rubbish with routines for my first born. We only really got a proper bedtime sorted this summer (at age almost 5) because she was starting school and new baby was born beginning of September . The baby is a month old now and I'd like to develop some sort of routine, but not sure how to go about it.

spookykitty · 01/10/2007 22:01

I honestly can't remember must have been about 6 months for both of them, I remember putting DD1 to bed at 8 then taking DD2 into bed and BFing her all evening until she fell asleep.

I'm a kind of go with the flow no routine until about a year type of mum

massivebigpantsface · 01/10/2007 22:06

jodie the baby whisperer book is a good place to start i found. Its a pretty gentle, flexible routine that you can adapt to your own lifestyle. Even if you don't follow the EASY routine as described it will help give you a shove in the right direction.

jodie84 · 01/10/2007 22:21

Thanks, I'll check that out.

massivebigpantsface · 01/10/2007 22:44

I think I still have my copy if you want it for just the cost of postage?

MorocconOil · 01/10/2007 22:50

About 6 weeks with all 3. They're all still very good at going to bed at 7.30 ish.

puffling · 01/10/2007 22:55

At 2 weeks, she was in a moses basket tho.'

InMyHumbleOpinion · 01/10/2007 22:56

When he started rolling over, because he would have rolled off the sofa.

foofi · 01/10/2007 22:56

Never had them sleeping downstairs!

gingerninja · 02/10/2007 14:21

about 4 month mark I think. They start becoming more aware of their surroundings about then and would be disturbed too easily by us.

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