Do i have to go to bed at 7pm??

[Blu3Bell]

Baby is turning 3 months soon, so I want to get in a good sleep routine. I know this means an earlier bedtime rather than 10/11pm which is what we do now.

My question is, if im putting baby to bed at 7pm ish and NHS guidelines state baby has to be in the same room as an adult for all day and nighttime sleep, does that mean I'm expected to be tucked up in bed at 7pm too for the foreseeable future? I can't see any wayy around it but surely not everyone is doing this?

Any advice/ideas appreciated x

Nope, get a baby monitor. We liked the camera ones and the volume up and we would still check on them every 30 mins

Do you have a baby monitor? I think that would suffice. My babies never went to sleep at 7pm but if they had I would have left them to sleep and got my evening back

With my first baby this was basically what we did. My husband and I took turns eating dinner and lying in the dark next to the baby.

By the time our second came along we were more relaxed. We put her crib in the spare room next to the living room and just popped in to check on her every 15 minutes or so. We then took her into our bedroom when we went to bed.

Yes you need to be in the same room (a baby monitor doesn’t replace that) but it doesn’t mean it has to be the bedroom.
Just get a moses basket in your living room or I’d have them breastfeed and sleep on me /the couch and then we’d all go up together about 10/11.
Also please don’t worry if your baby goes to bed late for a longer time. There’s nothing wrong with that :) Mine didn’t and it suited us as then they’d just play/feed/sleep down there with us.

Exactly all of this. Moses basket in the living room and/or feed to sleep on your lap.

Sometimes, watch TV on the tablet in bed through paired headphones each.

We only started using the monitor from 5 months both times

Mine didn't sleep well so yes I basically ended up in bed watching TV with headphones/playing on my phone/reading or going to sleep early myself. I was SO knackered I was ready to chill by the time I put her to bed (I didn't put to bed as early as 7 for a baby though that was more preschool age)

Or they'd sleep on me while I watched TV in the lounge... Or if they'd been good sleepers I had a moses basket I could use.

The same room as you isn't about "checking" or monitoring as much as something to do with them hearing you breath I think?

If you want to follow the guidelines, that's the expectation or if baby will settle downstairs until bedtime.

DS moved into his own room at 12 weeks.
DTwins moved into their own room at 6 weeks.

Bedtime at 7pm.

No either pop in. Moses basket or get a monitor.

Mine stayed with me downstairs in a Moses basket or asleep on me until I was ready to go up.

We kept ours in a flat bottomed pram or crib in the living room with us, then took them to bed when we went. Fed again at that time, too.

I put both mine to bed at 7pm and sat downstairs with a baby monitor. It meant me and my husband got our evenings back and a bit of chill time which was much needed.

I don’t know anyone who stayed in the same room as their babies from 7pm or for naps either

I used to get in to bed and watch the TV whilst my children were in their cot next to me.

Thanks @everyone. I think im too anxious to leave baby alone with a monitor after all the safer sleep information that has been forced on me. I'll see if we can carry on downstairs for now, if not I guess I'll have to get used to the early nights!

We carried on downstairs until 5 months or so when it became clear baby would sleep better upstairs at that point we tag teamed being up there (headphones/tv etc…) or just crashed out early all together!

It feels like a long time now but it really isn’t in the scheme of things and after 6 months it will be considerably safer to leave them for a bit.

@AlltheFs yeah there's not a chance I'm leaving him until after the 6 month mark at least. I know risk drops after that, but I'm not sure if I could do it until he reaches 12 months. I'd rather go to bed at 5pm every night!

We put ours to bed downstairs until he was 9 months or so. Then he started to go to bed upstairs and I’d use a baby monitor for the couple of hours until I was upstairs.

@Blu3Bell

Excellent decision

How do you think the message that monitors do not prevent SIDS is best conveyed. I cannot believe this many years later people do not understand or just want their evenings back.

@AmelieTaylor I think it's just not explained properly a lot of the time. I got a lot of information telling me it reduced SIDS but not HOW. It took me a lot of googling to find out its not just having eyes on them, but having another person breathing/snoring/moving about can prevent them from falling into such a deep sleep that they can't wake up.

With our kids we just kept them downstairs with us all evening, either feeding or snoozing. They are brilliant sleepers now as older children - through all sorts of noise 😁

We just kept our baby downstairs until we went to bed until about 8-9 months.

Baby monitor won’t stop SIDS - we never had one I think they’re pointless. Once baby in their own room, we just left door open. Baby slept downstairs until we went to bed. But I usually went up anyway at 8/9.

Agree with @fashionqueen0123

3 months is still very young and it's not worth the risk of leaving them alone for hours. Have a Moses basket or something downstairs and then take baby up when you go to bed.

Just kept mine in Living Room until we went to bed, why take risks or put yourself into an awkward situation

There is no evidence to suggest getting them into a routine helps them when they are older as their sleep routines change as they get older. Let them sleep on you downstairs or put in Moses basket if you need your hands free. The days are long but the years are short as my cuddly baby is now a grumpy 15 year old. Enjoy the cuddles