Changing the bedtime routine?

[BeccaH1]

Hi everyone

Been a while since I was last here!

I'm wondering when and how do you change the bedtime routine?

We've done bath, bottle and bed since Seb was a few months old and he's now 18mths. He still lays on our laps and is fed his last bottle although he is taking less these days. He takes typically about 30mins max to fall to sleep. When he's gone we put him in the cot. Bedtimes are very straightforward.

I know we should be adjusting things a littlle as he's getting so big but not sure how to go about it. Plus me and dad do enjoy those bedtime cuddles. I'm thinking we could wait until the sides come off the cot bed (which is imminent) and then start to read stories next to him in bed and help him wind down with him having a little milk himself if he wants...I don't know...

What have you done or are you doing ?

Thx x

 

[Ella1979]

We've always put both of ours down in the cot before they fell asleep. Our routine for our 22 month old is getting changed for bed (we don't bath every day), bottle downstairs in highchair or chair and then upstairs into the cot, stories, cuddles and then lights out. This has been the same pretty much from when he no longer needed 2-3 hourly feeds, so from around 3 months old.

I think whatever you do you'll need to do it gradually. He's used to falling asleep in your arms rather than the cot, so I think that'll probably be the biggest thing for him. Also, I personally wouldn't remove the cot sides until you've got him to settle to sleep in his cot - the bars will provide a feeling of security, plus 18 months is quite early, unless he's already trying to climb out. It might be useful to pop him in bed, then give him his milk while you read a story - that way he'll have the comfort of the bottle while he's settling somewhere new?

I'm sure everyone else will have lots of ideas and help too xx

 

[BeccaH1]

Thanks! Yes we have a couple of things to address at once. Saying that of course when nanny has babysat for us he's had no problem going to straight into the cord for her...typical!

In regards to the cot bars yes he is near to climbing out that's why I say it's imminent. He's done it once when we've been in the room but he's not really brave enough yet to be doing it during the night when he's half asleep and its dark. I wouldn't want to do it otherwise.

X

 

[kumber]

We bath in the mornings as they wake him up and send him proper hyper. We'll only tend to do evening baths if he's mucky.

Our bedtime routine, then, is a half hour warning, 10 minute warning, 5 minute warning, nappy change, pjs, teeth, milk and In The Night Garden with cuddles, into his bedroom for a story on our laps (whichever parent it is), bed. We still have the sides on his cot but he loves turning the pages so story time on our lap works better for us.

I don't have any advice regrading how to settle your LO into bed as opposed to letting him fall asleep on you though, sorry.