What's your bedtime routine for 20 month old?

Verytiredmumofone · 2024-09-29T18:30:17+00:00

My daughter has always been an awful sleeper. Breastfed to sleep till a couple months ago, then bottlefed to sleep. She sleeps in with me every night after her first wake up, sometimes from the beginning if she doesnt go down in her room. Today we changed her cot to a toddler bed and tried changing things up (milk downstairs with story, then bath, then cuddle, dummy and laid her in her bed to sleep). She went easily today as she had no nap again all day. I know she'll be up in a few hours (if we're lucky) and will be bringing her in. Any similar sleepers? Did yours sleep better when you changed cot to bed and stopped feeding to sleep?

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Brightandbreezey · 30/09/2024 13:01

Hi 👋🏼 mum of a 20 month old here! Same as yours… co slept and breast fed to sleep until about 2 months ago.
Our bedtime routine is, bath time, milk, clean teeth, stories, rock to sleep and bed. I no longer sleep with her as it was too hard when I was weaning her off breastmilk… she would roll towards me and expect it then get upset and I’d usually give in! So when we weaned my partner took over nights… rocked her to sleep and slept with her. She now sleeps in her own floor bed with my partner in the same room in another floor bed. The plan is to get her into her own bedroom and then very gently my partner will start moving out.
She still wakes at night usually 2 times maybe but will be either cuddled or rocked back by my partner (sometimes I help if she’s struggling which is usually when she’s teething or has a cold).
Nit sure how helpful that is… its tough and I think every transition just takes time. I read somewhere to give every change at least 3 weeks and then review and change things if needed.
Sounds like you’re doing a cracking (if not tiring job!) and I think it will get easier!!

Original poster

Verytiredmumofone · 30/09/2024 16:28

Brightandbreezey · 30/09/2024 13:01

Hi 👋🏼 mum of a 20 month old here! Same as yours… co slept and breast fed to sleep until about 2 months ago.
Our bedtime routine is, bath time, milk, clean teeth, stories, rock to sleep and bed. I no longer sleep with her as it was too hard when I was weaning her off breastmilk… she would roll towards me and expect it then get upset and I’d usually give in! So when we weaned my partner took over nights… rocked her to sleep and slept with her. She now sleeps in her own floor bed with my partner in the same room in another floor bed. The plan is to get her into her own bedroom and then very gently my partner will start moving out.
She still wakes at night usually 2 times maybe but will be either cuddled or rocked back by my partner (sometimes I help if she’s struggling which is usually when she’s teething or has a cold).
Nit sure how helpful that is… its tough and I think every transition just takes time. I read somewhere to give every change at least 3 weeks and then review and change things if needed.
Sounds like you’re doing a cracking (if not tiring job!) and I think it will get easier!!

Thank you for your reply! Wow that must be tough, it's really hard not sleeping in bed with your partner for so long, isn't it!? How long did it take for her to transition from going to sleep next to you to now next to your partner? Also, how long has he been doing it?
Does she use a dummy? My HV said I should transition her.

Sorry for all the questions haha!

OP posts:

Brightandbreezey · 30/09/2024 20:07

No she’s never taken a dummy… we tried when she was younger but she just chewed them and never sucked! So never bothered with them since.
I think I moved out of the room end of July/beginning of August. I occasionally sleep with her but it’s usually just when she’s having a bad night. I’m pregnant again and so need a bit more space to sleep and get comfy!!
We did have a few rocky nights to start, but we gave ourselves 3 weeks and it did feel like it had improved at the end of that so we kept going and now it’s just the way it is. Don’t get me wrong there are still tough nights but it is usually when there is something wrong, like illness. And to be honest I really do miss sleeping with her! But she definitely does longer stretches now and she self settles throughout the night without needing a boob! We’ve never left her to cry, she always has one of us there so it’s been really really gentle and slow. But there has definitely been improvement recently!!
I hope things improve for you! I am sure they will with time. They always get there in the end!!