How to do bedtime?

Should I be putting my 10 week old girls in their crib at a set time whether they're tired at that time or not? My husband lets them stay up until they pass out on their own on their boppys, which could be as late as midnight. (I sleep from 8p-1a, so he has this important shift). I'm just confused about how to do a "bedtime". If they're not even tired yet, won't they just lay in their cribs and cry and then we'd have to take them right back out anyway? help!

 

My boys went to "bed" around 7 at that age. They slept for an hour or two and then woke for their next feeding. Then repeat. My mom had this shift (I slept from 6-11pm). She rocked the babies to sleep in their car seats or bouncy chair or swing. This made it easy for her to get them to sleep on her own. I really think this helped us as the boys were older and we started to establish more of a bedtime routine. It also helped me out a lot when my mom left and I had all of the shifts!

 

At that age, I really started doing the bath, bottle, bed routine...as for the time, at 10 weeks or so it was between 9-10pm...it got pushed earlier as they got older and I noticed they were super tired earlier in the evening. You'll start to find that routine very shortly!

 

I've always just put them to bed at the same time if at all possible.....usually 8-9 that was always better for me

 

We usually put them to bed after the feeding them the evening bottle, which was 8-9 PM. When they got to be a little older (around 6 months) we started doing the entire routine and putting them down at about 6:30.

 

We'd do a bed time bottle around 8ish and they would be in bed by 8.30 or 9 at the latest, depending on when their last nap ended. Ours hated baths at that age, so we didn't do a bedtime bath until they were older and started to love it.

 

I was also doing bath, bottle and bed routine once their umbilical cord remains dropped off. 7pm was their bedtime. When we used to wake them for their dream feed at around 11pm, I´d do the bath then (crazy I know!) but I pushed the bath back to 7pm as it was just ridiculous doing the baths so late. Now they go to bed at 8.30pm (due to going to summertime). They love the routine as it is predictability and tells them that night time is coming. The bath also relaxes them a lot.

 

ok, so it sounds like I should be putting them to bed whether they're actually ready to sleep at that time or not. I guess I'll have to stay up past my 8pm bedtime and see how it goes. please correct me if i misunderstood. thanks!

 

Well, IMO you should try and time it so that they are sleepy after just having a bottle or bath. So, you can gradually move it up from 11pm or just try after the 8pm feeding or so to do a bedtime routine and go from there. At 10 weeks we were still going to bed around 9 but gradually moving it up to 7.

 

I feel bad - I just let my girls fall asleep in their bouncy chairs after their 9pm feeding and then transfer them to the cosleeper when I go up to bed - I hate them being upstairs without me...they seem to sleep ok. (btw - We are still feeding every 3 hours on the same schedule as when they came out of the NICU. I am increasing the size of the feedings with the hope of dropping a night-time feeding soon - I may post to get some advice on that soon!)

With my son I don't think I started a bedtime routine until about 4 months - but when I did I was super strict about following it. A good bedtime routine really helps many things fall into place as they get older.

I also never included a bath in the routine - I find that too much hard work every night - we just do baths as needed.

 

QUOTE(DATJMom @ Apr 7 2009, 11:07 PM) [snapback]1263720[/snapback]
Well, IMO you should try and time it so that they are sleepy after just having a bottle or bath. So, you can gradually move it up from 11pm or just try after the 8pm feeding or so to do a bedtime routine and go from there. At 10 weeks we were still going to bed around 9 but gradually moving it up to 7.


Last night I got them in sleepy sacks at 8 & tried them in the cribs. They didn't go for it at that time, so we tried again later. Lauren fell asleep in her crib at 9 & Charlotte at 9:45. That's better than midnight! Thanks for your advice.

 

QUOTE(sparker @ Apr 8 2009, 01:43 AM) [snapback]1263811[/snapback]
I feel bad - I just let my girls fall asleep in their bouncy chairs after their 9pm feeding and then transfer them to the cosleeper when I go up to bed - I hate them being upstairs without me...they seem to sleep ok. (btw - We are still feeding every 3 hours on the same schedule as when they came out of the NICU. I am increasing the size of the feedings with the hope of dropping a night-time feeding soon - I may post to get some advice on that soon!)

With my son I don't think I started a bedtime routine until about 4 months - but when I did I was super strict about following it. A good bedtime routine really helps many things fall into place as they get older.

I also never included a bath in the routine - I find that too much hard work every night - we just do baths as needed.


I don't think I can do baths at night right now either. I'm too tired at that point. They get them every other day in the afternoon. Thanks for your reply.

 

At about when you are is when we started the routine and the routine "trains" them to be sleepy at that time and they will eventually start going to sleep then. What I mean is, mine now know that when they get that bedtime bottle, bath, sleep sacks (or swaddle at 10 weeks) and put into the crib with white noise it is bedtime. Good Luck!

 

Our night routine is a bath at 6:15-6:30, last bottle at 7, and in bed by 7:30. It's so lovely to have my nights back again. Putting them to bed at 11 p.m. just made me so cranky and tired the next day. This way, I get tons of downtime and can actually finishing cleaning their bottles, do homework, eat, and do laundry. It's great!

 

QUOTE(Fossie @ Apr 8 2009, 01:44 PM) [snapback]1264467[/snapback]
At about when you are is when we started the routine and the routine "trains" them to be sleepy at that time and they will eventually start going to sleep then. What I mean is, mine now know that when they get that bedtime bottle, bath, sleep sacks (or swaddle at 10 weeks) and put into the crib with white noise it is bedtime. Good Luck!


Good to know I'm on the right track then!


QUOTE(orangeyaglad @ Apr 8 2009, 01:53 PM) [snapback]1264488[/snapback]
Our night routine is a bath at 6:15-6:30, last bottle at 7, and in bed by 7:30. It's so lovely to have my nights back again. Putting them to bed at 11 p.m. just made me so cranky and tired the next day. This way, I get tons of downtime and can actually finishing cleaning their bottles, do homework, eat, and do laundry. It's great!


It will be fabulous if I can get them sleeping at 7:30! I guess we'll get there little by little.