Feed, play sleep routine...when to start?

My DD is 5 weeks old, and the CHN suggested I start a feed, play sleep routine to try and get her to settle independently (place her in the cot/bassinet awake and settle her there). I currently feed or rock her to sleep and she sleeps in bed with me, usually for 2 hour blocks. Sometimes it does take a while to get her to sleep, but every time I try and put her in her bassinet to sleep she wakes up after 5 mins or so, looking for comfort, and the longest I have managed to get her to stay asleep after self settling is 20 mins. I don't really have an issue with the way things are currently, except the CHN said by 3 months patterns are established and I might have problems with sleep.

Is it too early to start this feed, play sleep routine? And does it work for all babies?

Just interested in some experiences...

Hi Anna,
I think the earlier you start a routine (if that is what you want to do) the better. My gf started when her ds was 4 weeks old and he is a great sleeper - day & night. We didn't really have a 'routine' until dd was older and it was a struggle initially, but now we are all content in our family.

Hi Anna, it's never too early to start a feed play sleep routine and it's never too late! I think that you should do what is best for you and your baby at the time, and if you're both fine with it at the moment then don't change a thing. If down the track you decide that you want your little girl to settle herself, then you can start teaching her then (although it can get harder as they get older but not impossible).

I taught both my children (Alex 4YO and Evie 3MO) to self settle right from the start and it worked great for us but it's not for everyone. It can be really hard emotionally so don't do it unless you really want to or it can be hard to stay consistent.

Right from the start I had Alex in his own cot/basinette and followed the feed play sleep routine because I was told this was the best thing to do. Being a first time mum I felt like I had no idea what I was doing and was so worried about setting up bad habits because of all the advice that gets thrown your way. I got so run down emotionally and physically and so stressed over 'doing the right thing' that I really didn't enjoy being a mum as much as I should have. Alex self-settled eventually and is now an absolute dream but I believe that my stress would have made it a lot harder than it should have been.

Now, with Evie I chucked all the advice out the window and do what I want to do. She slept with me and my partner for the first month and a half (something I was always told NOT to do) and then I moved her to her own basinette when I wanted a better nights sleep myself. She is now three months old and self settles - sometimes easily, sometimes it takes hours but I remain consistent because I know it pays off.

So my advice again is do what YOU want. You say she sleeps in two hour blocks with you so she's getting some sleep. She obviously likes being near you and you love being with her so enjoy it. The time goes so fast and you can't get it back and the truth is you are always working on sleeping routines because they change constantly anyway. Just as you get them settled they start teething, or go through a growth spurt etc. CHN are a great source of information and support but you are her mum and have to do this everyday and night so do what is best for you!!!! Enjoy your little girl!

oops forgot to mention, if you are interested in this routine a really great book is Sleep right, sleep tight by Tweddle. It gives you a good starting point. Good luck!

I havae to agree with Dessie. I too taught my DS to self settle basically from the start, and I ended up in a MBU as I stressed myself out so much. I was told that if I didn't teach him to self settle I would be setting myself for problems in the future. I put SO MUCH effort into it, it consumed me. This time around, I have a sling, and if this bub needs help to settle then I will be using the sling. MCHN are a great source of information, but they can also be a bit OTT.
My advice is do what works for you. Jsut because one person doesn't do something one way, doesn't mean you have to.

Thanks so much everyone. Yes, I was starting to drive myself a bit batty with the "should I, shouldn't I" approach to the feed, play sleep. I am a slight perfectionist, so I can see myself getting all caught up with the "routine"...and as I've learnt so far...babies haven't read the books you have, and will just do what they want.

I am glad its not just me who thinks MCHN are a bit OTT...

DD just self settled while I was typing...LOL...

Thanks again.

Anna - the feed play sleep routine never worked with DD#1 - she loved feeding to sleep and did so mostly till she was weaned at 14mths. She is a great sleeper and a very content & happy child so I believe I did the right thing in just being baby-led, as opposed to implementing strict routines.

Do what you feel is the right thing for YOU and YOUR BABY :)

I got a lucky draw card with our DS (#1) as he's been a good sleeper right from the start. At about 8 weeks, we went to an early parenting class which gave us some good tips and probably stopped us from getting into some bad habits (which we may have otherwise). So we consciously started doing some settling techniques, and limiting how long he was up to about 1hour and a quarter - I have found it worked well for us - there were definitely some times that i put him down thinkign "my goodness, he's wide awake surely he won't sleep" only to find him fast asleep in his cot 2 minutes later. So that was an eye-opener for me... but as others have said, it's gotta be what works for you and your baby!

Belfie, did you only put your little one down in the cot when they were already sleepy or asleep? Did they ever fall asleep if crying?