routines and going out!!??

[ChrissyT]

I am looking for other Mum's opinions on going out in the evenings in regards to baby's nightime routine/sleepcues etc.

Paige and I are always on the go in the daytime...but once 5pm hits we stick to our night time routine depending on her last feed.
Boobie
Bath - between 6and 7
Boobie top up
song/story
Wrapped - cuddle
Into bed sleepy

Paige is usually asleep between 6 and 8 without fail and then wakes at 11pm and 3am (ish) for a feed.

She is so good at going to bed and self settling...I guess I am scared of throwing it all out of balance if we were to say - go to in-laws for dinner etc.

S0 - reassure me that it all still works if we were to go out once and a while in the evening? I mean we cant stay at home after 5pm for ever...LOL

Does your baby just sleep in the pram etc?

Obvious question I know...but I would like to hear from other mum's particulary of the under 12 weeks.

TIA!!

[*Ali*]

Chrissy we were much the same with our routine and realy worried about going out because we didnt want toupset what we did at night, what we have started to do is if we go out to say my folks for dinner, I will just do our night time routine there and put her in her pram. If we are going out for dinner we just go out later and put her to sleep before we go and take her out in the pram.
I have found if we are out though and it gets past her bed time she WANTS togo to sleep and get very cranky if I don't go somewhere and put her down. We have always managed to get back into routine the next night though

[Trillian]

Whenever we went out when the kids were babies, they would just sleep in their pram, and luckily for us they would settle easy and it didn't put their routines out at all. Even if you did go out occasionally and Paige didn't get to sleep on time, it is only one night kwim? If you go to your IL's you would be able to put her down on a bed or something in a quiet room so that she can sleep.

[christy]

It depends on the situation for us. If we go to friends houses for dinner we always let them know Matilda's routine and try & stay close to it. We may go over and do the boobie top up, story, cuddle & into bed routine there. So we go over & let Matilda have 30 minutes of socialisation and then go into a separate room & excuse ourselves for however long it takes and a darkened quiet room & do the settling there. If she would get upset or not settle we would take turns going in & cuddling her & settling her so she wasn't doing it on her own in a new place. Generally it took a bit longer & she would go to sleep a bit later, but the more we did it the easier it got. She also settled in the pram for a few months & did really well. One night out if we got home late & she went to bed an hour later didn't make much of a difference in the longer term. Just beware the next day maybe a bit more cranky than normal & thats okay too.... we all get like that After she was around a year old it was easier to do... but now its super simple. Its no effort whatsoever, she even asks to go to bed & we pop her down in a dark room with a night light & a few books.

[{sarah}]

Alexzander is very flexible with this, he can be out until midnight & not have any issues!

To start with he'd snooze in his capsule, then we took the Snugglebed with us or the port-a-cot. These days he won't sleep anywhere but bed which is a bit tough. Although he can handle a late night easily & will sleep in the car on the way home.

[Rouge]

I think random flexibility is important so that if something spontaneous in their routine occurs it doesn't freak them out iywkim? Seth has always slept in his pram before that it was in our arms (for him he sleeps better in his pram), and now we go by how tired he is most of the time he needs to be VERY tired to sleep in the pram and we're ok with that. We do take the porta cot if we are going to friends and he has no problem sleeping in there if we are out.

Every child is different but you should be fine Another tip is to start it sooner rather than later, if its something they are used to then its easier but if you start it when they are older they are more set in their ways.

*hugs*
Cailin

[christy]

Another thing we did (only because Matilda is a stickler for routines & order) is put Matilda to sleep in a different room in our house in the port-a-cot for a few day time sleeps before we took her out... this was when she was older & more aware of everything going on around her. I think it helped her so much getting used to sleeping in other places.

[shellbell3]

If we do go out of an evening we put Ashleigh in the pram to sleep and put her in a room so its nice and quiet. I have only taken her to peoples houses for dinners. I wouldn't like to take her anywhere noisy at this stage like a restaurant cause it'd be to hard to settle her then.
Sometimes when we do get home she's a little unsettled from being disturbed but i just give her top up booby and she settles again.

[Jacci PG]

Charlie gets very tired by about 7-8 and loves his settled routine - but if we go out for tea i just put him in his pram to sleep - i haven't found that it has changed his routine or anything.
Good luck with it - hope it doesn't change her routine either.

[Sarah Kate]

Hi love

Emma had her first after 5pm outting since we started a bed time routine and I was quite worried about it but she did really well when we got home.

We have told friends and family that dinners are out for awhile but when we do venture out, we are going to try and get home around an hour after she is due to got to be so we don't upset her too much. i think as she gets older, we can stretch it out more

[Liz]

Gosh - we don't have a routine! LOL. Bedtime is anywhere between 8 and 10pm. And day sleeps are whenever he's tired. If we're going out, I try to time a day sleep to coincide with him waking up to have a feed and get dressed to go out. We're fortunate too that he's not that cranky when he's tired.. just gets very red around the eyes. But like Sarah & Alexzander, Tallon's a good night owl, and will fall asleep in the car too.

First 12 weeks - we just put him in the pram, or wore him in the hugabub. He always fed to sleep, so I'd just go in another room, feed him, and then put him in the pram asleep.

Sorry, not much help, coz we have such completely different babies! hehe.

[*Ang*]

I would have to agree with Cailen, start taking Paige out earlier rather then later so that they get used to different noises etc. You will find that most babies are fairly adaptable and when they are tired will fall asleep anywhere especially if you "teach" them that.

We took Gaby out for her first nighttime outing when she was a week old - to a New Years get together at a friends house! And to her first restaurant when she was around 6 weeks old. I suppose we had a fairly active social life (none of our friends had children) so she just had to adapt. Also we are very close to both sets of parents and would have dinner 1-2 times a week at their houses.

I understand why a lot of people like to stick to a routine with babies but then I find it can backfire if you are too much of a stickler if you ever need to go somewhere, especially if it is unplanned. It can then become a stressful occasion.

Good luck anyway!

[ChrissyT]

I understand why a lot of people like to stick to a routine with babies but then I find it can backfire if you are too much of a stickler if you ever need to go somewhere, especially if it is unplanned. It can then become a stressful occasion. Good luck anyway!

I totally agree - I am flexible when it comes to going out etc...BUT I am very strict when per say, Grandparents come to visit after she has gone to bed, and would like me to get her up...LOL SORRY, but NO WAY!!

We took Paige to an afternoon wedding when she was almost 2 weeks old...she was fine.
I think we will do a trial run on Friday night...we can take her bassinette as I just realised it unclicks from the stand ...probably bring her home just before she is due for her 11-12pm feed.
Seeing I am the one who feeds and settles her 24/7...I am more worried about MY sleep...LOL

Thank you for the replies everyone...i should chill.

[*Ang*]

No way would I be waking her up either! Grandparents sometimes seem to forget what its like with a littlie don't they?!!

You'll be fine and am sure you're princess will too!

[Tracey]

Indah was 13 days old & we had been invited to a friends birthday dinner in a Large noisy restaurant, she had said you dont have to come as you have a newborn, but I was adamant I was going, I had no problems I breastfed at the table & put her in her pram at about 10pm, I was pretty tired so we left... Indah is fine & will sleep in a portacot anywhere as my Mum & sis have baby sat since I have been back at work & she has slept in a portacot since Feb..

I agree that getting them used to changes earlier is easier...

Good Luck... I too dont wake a baby coz a visitor has popped in & bubs is asleep that's just crazy!

[Mel09]

We try to stick to a routine if we are out for the day and/or night, but it doesn';t always happen that way.

I know that if Kiara has been over stimulated or slept a lot during the day when we are out she is a bit of a terror that night and can be a little out of sorts the next day, but then she tends to get back to her normal 4-5 hours at night. We just make sure that we don't let too many people hover over her, and try to keep her in the same routine when we are out.

Does tha make sense?

[Debbie Lee]

Chrissy - now is the BEST time to be able to go out at night. When they are so little, they'll sleep anywhere... it's great! Also, if you are with other people, you can always palm her off for cuddles and get a bit of a break yourself. Like Cailin said, the occasional late night does the routine no harm. Gab has coped so well with the odd late night here and there from very early on. She's such a little trooper. Sometimes I'd have her in the hug-a-bub, sometimes the pram or I'd make use of other people to give her a cuddle. I lived for getting out and about. Even now when she has a much stricter routine, she seems to thrive on the extra stimulus and lasts a lot longer than she would at home, iykwim?
Don't be afraid to give it a go