Bedtime & Naptime Routines

[RainInanna]

Got one? Post?

Haven't used one in awhile, going to try again since he's more aware and might actually notice :lol:

[Morr]

Scarlet isn't really set on a nap routine yet.. She randomly sleeps throughout the day for different amounts of times (from a 10 minute nap to an hour long nap).

In the evening, she already shows us signs she is tired (ie. cranky, rubbing her eyes, etc).

I try to give her a bath about a half an hour before she gets in the "tired" mood (these days around 8:30-9pm).

I put her in her tub, wash her, shampoo her hair, let her hang out in the warm water for a bit and talk to her. Then her dad takes her, dries her up, puts a diaper on her as I prepare her last bottle for the night. I try to make sure it is nice and warm for her (helps her sleep).

I feed her half the bottle downstairs in the livingroom (by this time we dim the light in the livingroom), then I or her dad burp her, and take her upstairs, sit in the recliner in her nursery and finish feeding her (either till she is done with the bottle, or till she falls asleep while eating). Then I hold her over my shoulder, pat her back till she burps (sometimes she doesn't). At this point she is usually out, or really dozed off.

Then I lay her in her bed, make shushing sounds if she moves around and makes baby noises as she gets settled. Sometimes I slighly shake the crib to make a "vibration" feeling, that helps her sleep.

Then I say my usual blessing to her before I leave her room, and that's it!

She usually falls asleep quite easily. Sometimes she has a harder time, so she takes the pacifier.

Then she'll sleep for about 4-5 hours, wake up for a feeding, and go right back to sleep (again, feeding her in the recliner, when she is done or asleep, stand up and put her over the shoulder, pat her back till she burps (if she burps), then slowly put her in her crib, shush and shake the crib if she is settling in and trying to fall asleep, blessing and then mommy sleepy time). She'll usually go back to sleep for 2-3 hours after that feeding at night.

That is the basic bedtime routine for us at the moment.

[RayneStorm]

Got one? Post?

Haven't used one in awhile, going to try again since he's more aware and might actually notice :lol:

I'm in need of one too!! We dont really have one, which might explain alot, because we're usually pretty exhausted by the end of the day and are too tired to bathe him every night. We have books that we read, we feed him and change him but that's about it.. What else can we do that doesnt require too much effort on our part? Is there such a thing??
Rayne

[RayneStorm]

I like the idea of feeding him in his room. It prbly is alot more calming and relaxing than doing it in the living room (even though the lights are dim).
Also I think the warm bottle does help them fall to sleep alot easier. We've always done that.
The bath though, we find hard to do every night as we're usually pretty tired by 8pm (most times it's just me at home. My husband tends to work really late and doesnt get home until 11pm if I'm lucky).

Rayne

[Morr]

When I hold her over my shoulder and pat her on the back while rocking my body from side to side, I sometime sing to her "Lady in Red".

...

Cause her name is Scarlet...

LOL

Singing helps sometime, especially if she is fussy or can't fall asleep by herself very well.

[RainInanna]

I may just borrow The No Cry Sleep Solution again from the library, since I remember that was a big help for establishing a routine.

I was doing lights dimmed, changing & jammies, , cuddling on the couch with a binky, breastfeeding, lights off, rocking, but then for a long time he just could not be convinced to sit still if he didn't feel like it, so I quit doing that. Some also read to the baby at night, but mine will not sit still for that.

[RayneStorm]

Yeah, when I feed Luke I rock him as well. I rest my forehead on his and we close our eyes and he eats. I dont sing to him though. No body wants to hear that LoL

Rayne

[RainInanna]

Oh, and I used to do the 5 S's from The Happiest Baby on the Block religiously and they were helpful up until he hit about 4 months old and stopped liking to be swaddled or swung.

[Chesna]

I think routines are different for older babies. Liam is almost a year ( OMG!!) and at about 5-6 months or so, we would bring into the room, get him ready by his night light, feed him and then put him right into his crib while he still awake. By the time I check on him at 10 pm he is sound asleep. As they get older, they can put themselves to sleep and don't need to be ricked ( IMHO). However, I know some parents really believe in rocking and holding their kids tilltheyfall asleep, if you choose to do that..then do it. I think the whole point of nighttime routines is that it helps cue the baby into..this is night time..time to go to sleep. I never bathed themevery night, I do not think it is recommended. But about 2 or 3 times per week, depending on how spitty they are is just fine.

Chesna

[Brigid Rowan]

LOL....As a mom to kids ranging from 1 to 11, our routine is heavily influenced by the older kids, so the Baby, age one, has got used to everyone piling on the couch to watch animal shows together prior to bedtime.~chuckles~ Bedtime is a mix of 5 kids getting into PJ's, animal shows, and chatter between me, DH and the kids...then the big ones troop off to sleep, and baby goes night night, too.

[Morr]

I dont bathe her every single night.

She sometimes throws up, and when she does -- its a mess... So she gets her bath then. Whether its in the morning, noon, afternoon, or evening.

On the days she doesn't I bathe her. Its fun! I like how she enjoys the water, and moving her legs in the water. She loves it! So its a fun activity to do, even when we're tired. Its quick too, no more than 10 mins. She is still young so she can't enjoy bubbles or her ducky much yet.

I don't rock her to sleep till she is completely asleep.

She learned from day one that she is fed and rocked till she has become very dozed off. Then I put her in her crib, she is pretty much almost completely asleep, but not sound asleep. As I've said, I lay her there, she might fuss up a bit or just make noises, move her legs and arms around, and I shush her calmly a bit, rock the crib so it gives her a soothing vibration feeling (that helps).

Sometimes if that doesn't help and she is very fussy or upset, I pat her gently on her hip, hold a pacifier for her and she falls asleep.

But that is ususally a once in a blue moon case. Most of the times, we do the routine I wrote in the other post, I put her in her crib and she is either asleep within a few minutes, or puts herself to sleep after a little while of making noises and talking to herself.

I find that constanly rocking her till she is fully asleep just bothers her. Then when I go to place her in her crib, the change of movement or lack there of wakes her up.

[RainInanna]

As they get older, they can put themselves to sleep and don't need to be ricked ( IMHO).

Maybe that's the thing then. I get tired of trying to get mine to slow down and cuddle/rock/relax. Maybe if I just keep some parts of the routine he will naturally learn to slow it down himself. I am finding putting jammies on him helps cue the "slightly quieter" mode anyway. Maybe it's just that his bedtime routine doesn't need to be as complicated/long anymore.

I'm beginning to go nuts with no routines or scheduled sleepytimes :D

[RainInanna]

Oh, we're another "not bathing every night". Baths wake him up.

[RayneStorm]

I only rock him when I feed him. When I do put him down in his crib he's not fully asleep and if I'm lucky by the time I leave the room he will be.
What does everyone think of music mobiles? There's this one that I saw that's like an aquarium that hangs on the side of the crib.. Thinking about getting it.
Rayne

[RainInanna]

Often they don't recommend the mobiles that hang over the crib after 5 months because they worry kids will get ahold of them and pull them down on themselves. I actually only thought to get one after mine was too old for them doh

ETA - I have the ocean wonders aquarium you mean. It sticks to the side and isn't easy even for me to get off so I think they're ok. He learned to turn it on himself pretty easily :lol:

[RayneStorm]

Yeah, that's the one that I'm talking about. It's good? You like it? Does it help you baby sleep at all?
Rayne

[RainInanna]

It definitely used to when he was smaller. We used up the batteries for sure.

I actually haven't moved it from the old crib to the new one yet. I keep meaning to because I think it'd entertain him for a couple minutes at least while I run to the washroom and put pants on to go get him out of the crib in the morning :Lol: