Do you have a before bed routine?

Hello...just curious as to people's evening routine when it comes to putting their little one down for the night.

We have a feed, a small play while feed settles, bath, cuddles and bed.

Thanks for your replies.

Since DD was 5 weeks i've been putting her down for her night sleep at around 8pm - that was convenient as she had a BF then in those days.

Nowadays it's dinner at around 6pm, bath with a cup of milk (she likes to dribble it everywhere and telling her not to just stresses us both out so she has it in the bath where it doesn't matter), then put pj's on, brush teeth (Esme starts them, mummy finishes them, so she gets a shot and i know they're clean!), if she's unsettled i sing her lullaby, but if she's peaceful already i just tuck her into her cot and read to her for 15-25 minutes, then lights out, night night.

She sleeps really well so i'm pretty lucky!

Bec

Thanks Hoobley, that's not too different to what we have been doing with DD. Was working until this week when she started to wake overnight. thanks again.

Esme goes through periods of waking overnight too Rachel. If she cries i go to her, cuddle her, tell her quietly it's bedtime and put her back down - sometimes i have to do that 2 or 3 times. If she's awake but not crying i leave her to it and she generally falls asleep again after 10 or 20 minutes.

Bec

We've recently changed the order of bath and feed... Now she has a bath at around 6pm, feed at 6:30pm, cuddles with Daddy, little song while we go upstairs and cuddle in her room, wrap and in bed. Often she will take a while to settle, usually she's asleep within 20 mins. Depending on whether she is upset, I will either pick her up to cuddle her, pat her while she's in the cot, or leave her to chatter to herself until she goes to sleep.

I also do the bath first, I think I will change around when she start crawling. We cuddle first, have a laugh and play after daycare. Bathtime around 6:30-7:00, depending on her last feed at daycare. Feed straight after bath, burps and with full warm tummy straight to bed. She usually is at sleep at 8:00. Glorious!! Sleep straight through till eleven - last feed and the again seven next morning. I am blessed to have such a good girl. She is much better now than a week ago (new daycare)

Elly does Vegies etc at 5pm, bath, then bottle, play & cuddles then bed by 7pm where she normally talks to her teddies before drifting off to sleep. It does take time for them to work out how to settle themselves but they do end up doing it naturally if they are allowed.

we dont have a set bed time, but it's usually around 2 hours after waking from last nap, so now with solids it's dinner usually around 5-5.30 the bath around 1/2 bofore she needs to go down, quick masseage, boob and straight to bed!! dont hear a peep til morning

Thanks everyone. Doesn't sound like i am doing things that differently. I often offer a top up BF after her bath which is usually 1 and a half hours past her last feed but she isn't normally interested.

We have a set routine, not a set bedtime, although DS is usually asleep by 8.

The routine starts with the Solids Feed (DS is mostly baby-led-weaning, which means no squishy fruit/veg in the morning meal, but I do squish it up in the evening meal so he has more). 7pm (or as close to as makes no odds) is naked play for 10-20mins, then bathtime (usually finishes about 7.30), then massage (maybe 10 mins), then on with the nappy, sleepsuit and say good night to Daddy, then bedroom for sleeping bag, Hungry Caterpillar, feed (often started during the story) and prayers, then if he doesn't fall asleep with the feed then lullaby until asleep.

When he wakes up it's just feed to sleep, lullaby if that doesn't work.

Hi Rachel, Charlie is just 12weeks. At the moment I bath him everynight to get him into routine, then we have a play & he get's a top up feed. This all usually happens around 6-6.30pm, then I cuddle him and sing a little to relax him then it's into bed still awake. So far this has worked, he stirrs a little then is off to sleep. Lately not waking til around 3-4am for a feed. Works great for DH & I as we get to have tea together & chat.

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Hi Rachel, My routine with 12 week old DD is exactly the same as Erin's. She has her feed about 6 then bath, then a little play, then a top up feed then bed. I play the same CD each night and now the music has started to make her know it's sleep time. She is asleep about 7:30pm and goes through til about 3.30am for a feed. Over the last 2 weeks she has stretched out the sleep- she was waking at 1 - 2am and now it's 3-4am.

Chelsea Has solids at 6pm.. then plays til 7pm, then daddy gets home and they play for 20 mins or so. Then bath, bottle, cuddles and bed all by 815pm

maddy is vegies 6.15ish,bath,play with dad,try bottle,read book and bed by 8ish..

well hollie (almost four months) had started waking several times a night, not for a feed, but just generally a restless sleeper, she had been so good overnight previously... anyways this co-incided with her sleeping great during the day (5 hours of naps!!) (the theory that better sleep during the day equals better night sleep is quite the opposite with her, i have just worked out)....

so now i have discovered she sleeps much better if she has limited sleep during the day, say 2-3 hours of naps, and is up for a much longer period of time before being put down for the night, so she is at the end of her tether and actually WANTING to sleep... it goes something like this...

5.30pm feed.... play, possible catnap for half an hour at around 6-6.30 in mummy's arms.... more play, mummy and daddy have dinner, bath at around 8pm, then last feed at 8.30pm, she then goes down very tired and stays down for the night and has her next feed at 7am, but today was 8am!!

i am also working on starting every day at 7am, even if it means i have to wake her, so we can have the same bedtime each day, IFYWIM. i seem to function better when there is a rhythm to the day.

wow, long post, sorry!! btw, we also play a lullaby cd when getting ready for the bath and keep it on until she is put down in her cot... am hoping she will learn to associate this music with sleep time.