Hi Mez, I established a routine with James from the day we came home from hospital (ie the day after he was born). I guess because there was no real variation from his morning and night time routine he was very placid and still is at 6 years of age - but that's my view.

Morning, he'd wake and my ex-husband would change him prior to leaving for work and bring him to me in bed where I'd give him a morning feed and we'd sleep for a little longer. We'd get up, I'd change him if needed, put him in his bouncer, pop that on the floor of the bathroom where he could see me so I could have a shower and talk to him during that time.

We'd then have breakfast (mine only until he started solids - he was BF) and then he'd have another feed about mid morning and go down for a nap (I'd change his nappy first, make sure he was clean and dry first) and off he'd go to sleep. He'd wake and that's when we'd go out and have lunch and/or playtime.

If we were still out in the afternoon, he'd fall asleep in his pram or the car seat, if at home, he'd have another feed and then the whole clean and dry thing happened again and he'd go down for an arvo nap. He'd wake usually around 4, then we'd have a small feed, then a play and he'd be carted around the house in his bouncer with me (prior to him getting more mobile).

My ex husband would come home from work, we'd have dinner around 5.30 and he'd have a play with James and then bath at 6pm (religiously, and quietly and calmly but still with a bit of fun), get him dressed, dim the lights, I'd feed him (the little monster would feed for about 45 minutes at a time and I'd always do a mid-feed burp), then XH would pop him into bed (always around the 7pm mark) and he'd go off to sleep without a problem. When he woke in the night, XH would get up, change him and I'd go and get myself ready for that night feed, XH would go back to sleep and I'd feed James in bed (do the mid-feed burp again) and then pop him back into his cot where he'd sleep until morning.