2 month old bedtime

[EdithGrantham]

My DD is 2 months old and sleeps pretty well most nights although her "bedtime" does seem particularly late (anywhere between 10.30 and 11.30, sometimes as late as midnight). Daytimes vary, some days she'll have a couple of 45+ minute naps and others (like today) she'll only have 20 minute naps. I'm pretty relaxed about all of this and hoping she finds herself a more regular rhythm eventually.

But everything I keep seeing about sleep talks about establishing a bedtime routine, I've got no idea how to do this when she spends all evening feeding/catnapping. So bath time is just whenever we can squeeze it in between feeds and even if I did manage to do it at a regular time each day it would be no where near her actual bedtime unless I bathed her at 10 at night by which point I'm knackered and only good for waiting out until I think she's gone down for her longest stretch of sleep!

So I guess what I'm asking is should I be aiming to do anything different to what I am already?

I didn’t bother with a routine until DS was closer to 6 months, had more consistent naps and was also able to sleep on his own.

@MaverickDanger thanks, that's reassuring, it's so hard to know what to do for the best!

She’ll figure herself out, you sound very relaxed so just keep going with the flow and enjoy the cuddles.

I didn’t want to leave DS sleeping on his own before 6 months as per the guidance, but equally didn’t fancy sitting in the dark bedroom every evening! So the 10pm bedtime worked for us and we gradually brought it forward - we probably had a month or so where he was going down about 8pm and we just took it in turns to have two hours chilling in the bedroom with him.

I wouldn't bother with a routine until around 6 months.
My DD got into her own routine and slept soundly from then. Just go off her own cues of being tired etc.
Your obviously doing a good job.

@MaverickDanger yeah I'm the same, we don't tend to have the big light on in the evening so it's not too bright but equally not willing to sit in the dark!

@Wantabub thanks, I don't think I'm very good at picking up on her sleepy cues yet, either that or she doesn't really show any until she's absolutely exhausted.

I'm a first time Mum to a 5 month old (2 months old seem like decades ago!) so I'm basically clueless haha but when my daughter was 2 months old we were just doing whatever we could to survive - bath time was when it was convenient, no set "bedtime" as she fed and slept downstairs with us (with TV on quietly in dark room etc) until we went to bed which was sometimes really early but also sometimes midnight, depended how knackered we were.
I was very relaxed about it all but I'd hear from/about people with magically easy predictable fairytale bedtime routines that happened on the daily at that age and it did make me second guess myself a few times. If what you're doing is working for you now then you're winning. Do whatever feels right for you in this moment. It will all change as she gets older and her sleep cycles mature. People used to say this to me and I'd be sat there thinking "wtf are you talking about" but it does happen and it'll come around quicker than you know it 😞 so enjoy the cuddles in the knowledge you're doing an amazing job!

Honestly too early. Everything I read said don’t even think about bedtime routines before 4 months because the sleep regression throws it all out of the window anyway! DD just went to bed with us before then and napped downstairs as needed throughout the evening. After 4 months we started nudging back her bedtime until we hit 7.30pm at around 6 months, and after she was going down reliably at 7.30 and generally doing most of the night without a wake she went into her own room. There’s really no rush, she’s not going to miss out on learning a bedtime routine at this point

@UnBeso and @Dollywilde thanks both, definitely in survival mode today, hoping for more/longer naps tomorrow so I can catch up on some sleep but who knows!

You are doing great, OP! Whatever works for you guys & baby.
A little different to you, I remember, around that age, I used to try and go to sleep alone around 8pm most nights whilst DH was downstairs with DS with DS normally being asleep on DH (he'd only sleep when held) until it was time for DH to go to bed. I coslept with DS so DH normally did his midnight feed and then brought him upstairs to me and DS would go back to sleep with me until about 5/6 (then feed and back to sleep till 8/9am ish). We gave him a bath every other night around 7pm, ready for his bottle at 7.30pm and then me off to bed. It was convenient for us to keep this routine going and eventually he started having a bath every evening and he stopped being downstairs with DH but go to sleep either with me or when old enough, by himself. As I said, it's a little different and it worked, sleep regression obviously threw us but more so at night the with frequent wakings and didn't seem to have much of an impact on our evening routine. He is a toddler now and still the same to an extent, bath, milk, bed. Goes off quite easily, it's just still the odd wakings that we struggle with every now and then. Good luck x

@MintLampShade thanks, I think I definitely need to start expressing so that DH can give a bottle or two! The 20 minute naps continue today, she wakes up happy enough so guessing it's not a problem for her but gosh I miss the 2 hour naps she had in the first couple of weeks after she was born!