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How to institute a bedtime routine for a six month old

1 reply

Macadamiabeat · 02/12/2024 20:15

I feel like I've failed my baby by not having a bedtime routine and I'm too tired to think about how to start putting one in place.

He wakes up between 0700 and 0730 like clockwork, but the times he falls asleep for the night vary wildly, especially since he's been recovering from a cold. He's awake now at eight at night! He has three naps a day, longest one an hour in the morning and then about 30-45 minutes for the other two. The last few nights putting him down has been a lottery of whether he'll sleep for 15 minutes or two hours.

We've transitioned him out of the next to me into a cot, but still in our room. I don't want to sleep train him, but I want to be able to give him a consistent routine so he can fall asleep at roughly the same time each night. I can cope with the night wakings, I just want to have a couple of hours to myself in the evening.

I don't want to particularly build in a bath to his routine as it's then such a pain if we go out and can't ensure he gets one. I don't mind if he goes to sleep around 2000 or 2030 so he gets a bit of time with husband in the evening

Sorry this is really garbled, but any advice (or telling off) is welcome.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Parraeels · 03/12/2024 12:10

I think 8-8.30 is a reasonable time to put a 6 month old to bed. It's just about starting to quiet things down for him beforehand. Turn the tv off etc. Take him upstairs for his bedtime feed- which means you might need to alter other feeds to ensure he takes this one. And try to make sure he isn't too tired by this time- firstly so he doesn't fall asleep on the feed and secondly, so you put him down awake and he will then learn to go to sleep by himself.

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