Need help with Odhrans non existent routine

[FebMum2Be]

I really do need help with this, we have no set wake up time, no set go to bed time, no set nap times... Nothing That sounds really bad, because I know we should be well into one by now.. I'll give a rough idea what really happens..

He wakes anytime between 8-12, the first feed is a 9oz bottle.. He will usually have a nap before his lunch, although tbh it could well be after too The rest of the day has no real routine I feel really bad saying that, but there's nothing.. Bedtime is whenever we go to bed, me and OH have to fit our time around Odhrán all day everyday, which I don't mind doing, but it would be nice to have a bit of time to unwind in the evenings and get the things done that I need to do.. Any help or tips would be appreciated because I honestly don't even know where to begin x

 

[MrsR]

Ok. Firstly, bedtime. Decide what time you want this to be at. Say you decide 7.30. At 6.30 you want to start settling him down. No big noisy playtime, try to have dimish lighting in the lounge/room he's in. Give him a bath with a drop of lavender essential oil or johnsons bedtime bath stuff. Pop his pj's on after bath and give him some warm milk/supper (sorry I dunno how old he is) and about 7.00 pop him in his bed and cuddle with him or even just sit on the couch with him and read a bedtime story. You could also introduce 'bedtime' music-calm music that you only play at bedtime. Then put him to bed. Do this every night to establish a routine.

Once bedtime is routine you might find that everything else will follow. He'll probably naturally wake at around the same time every day and nap at the same time. If he doesn't then you'll have to do the same as with bedtime and establish it for him. The key is to be consistent! If you're not, even once, then it'll all go tits up!

Decide what time you'd like him to wake up and wake him at this time. During the day you want to be quite loud and lots of big playtimes so that he can see that night equals quiet and bedtime. Also decide what time you'd like him to nap and put him down every day at this time.

Good luck honey. Hope this helps at least a little bit.

 

[lauren86]

maybe give him a bath and his bedtime milk at the same time each evening and put him down for sleep. Even if he doesn't sleep straight away and it's a fight, he will slowly realise thats its bedtime. We did this with Ethan and it worked 100% he knows when he has a bath and bottle that it's bedtime. As for naps during the day we don't have anything set in stone i just look for the signs that he is tired xxx

 

[AugustMum]

Paige will go to bed at 7pm on the dot everynight (she chose this bedtime lol) and after 6 I talk to her, but dont do any playtime and too excited speaking so that she calms down and relaxes and then at half 6 Ill take her upstairs and just have a very dim light on and just sit and cuddle for a bit with her while shes in her sleeping bag and she'll drop off to sleep so easily. I swear dim lighting is the key and no big stimulation.

If you get the bedtime routine sorted, then the daytime routine will just fit into place and he'll probably wake up around the same time everyday too. Paige has a routine of feed every 2 1/2 - 3 hours, but other than that we just go with the flow.

 

[titch]

we've established a bedtime routine. He starts the routine at 8pm, that seems really late now Ive read what other people are doing. Its really nice cos he just goes straight to sleep no fuss everytime and by 8.45 I have dinner on the table and we eat together and then have some cuddles on the sofa. He never wakes in the evenings either so we get some adult time. I love my son but its a really nice time of day for OH and I to maintain our relationship! It does mean we eat dinner really late but Im happy with that.

We had no routine at all in the day, morgan just falls asleep whenever wherever! I decided I needed some routine so I started writing down when he sleep for a week. I didnt do anything to influence it just wrote it down. OH and I looked at it together and it was so random but we managed to decide on some set nap times. He always falls asleep at 9.30/10 so I dont need to do anything with that one. Its brilliant cos it gives me some time to get showered and dressed. Then we decided his next nap should be midday so 11.30 I change his nappy and give him a bottle, get him wrapped up warm in his pram and go out for a walk. Literally I just walk up and down our street for 5 mins and the pram makes him fall asleep. then I just get in take his hat and blanket off and leave him to nap in the pram. We do the same at 3.30. Im notsure if its working yet cos we went away for a long weekend and it messed up the routine. If its raining sometimes I put him in the pram and push him back and forth in the living room

we got a free sleep chart when I joined Hipp Organic Baby club, but I reckon you could get a chart onine somewhere.

Good luck!!!

 

[FebMum2Be]

Thanks girls, they're great ideas I'm going to aim for asleep by 8.30 tonight, he has a light show projecter thing which I haven't used since he was tiny should I get that out x

 

[titch]

yeah thats a nice idea. doesnt really matter what you choose to use as ,long as its calming and you do the same everybed time and only at bedtime

 

[titch]

PS there has to be a difference between naptimes and bedtime or they get muddled and wake in the night.

 

[FebMum2Be]

I put him in his pram or on the sofa for naptimes, he knows when he goes upstairs it's bedtime, it's just about 5 hours later than I would like

Another thing? If I'm starting to wind down from 7.30, that means no tv programs for him right? Sorry if that sounds so stupid xx

 

[MrsR]

I'd say no tv at wind down time. Make it time for you, OH and him to relax with him and enjoy bedtime iygwim x

 

[Me, My Girls & I]

my two watch tv right up til they go to bed! it used to be part of Ks routine that she knew she went to bed after iggle piggle lol! she was so cute, every night i'd give her milk at the start of it and she'd drink a bit, then save the rest til the bit at the end with the merry-go-round came on and she'd drink it then! i'd be tempted to try moving bedtime back gradually, just cos if you suddenly start putting him down at 7ish, you might find yourself up at silly o'clock, you need to find his natural sleeping pattern! i dunno what time your bedtime is normally, but say it's 10, i'd try putting him down at 9.30ish consistently for a week, then move it to 9.15, then 9 etc etc, thats how i did it with my two!

also, make sure you keep lights dim at bedtime so he knows, i find if i put the light on in their room when i'm putting them to sleep they take ages to drop off! and if he wakes in the night, keep the lighting low too! i always just put the hall light on! like the others have said tho, once you get bedtime sorted, everything else will fall into place! we dont really have a set day time routine, but they're in bed around roughly the same time every day xx

 

[FebMum2Be]

Yeah completely.. No doubt I will be hounding you girls for advise over the next week or two I have never put Odhrán up to bed and came downstairs again so I think I will be a bit on edge tonight if all goes to plan x

 

[FebMum2Be]

Odhrán can go into his nights sleep anytime from 10 (earliest ever) and the other night it was 2.45am He was a bit hot that night so I put his down to his mouth, I'll aim for 9.30 tonight, that completely makes sense about gradually putting him to bed earlier.. What about if he wakes wanting out of his cot, am I supposed to talk to him.. I'm so embarrassed actually writing this I have no idea about a proper proper routine! Things here run so smoothly but it's just "go with the flow" kind of thing, once I go back to study I will need the routine too x

 

[titch]

We have a rocking chair in morgans room. If he cries, as long as I know everythings alright I wait 5 mins (starting at the clock willing time to pass quicker!!) most times he falls back to sleep himself but as soon as 5 mins is passed I go in and I talk to him and 'shhhh' him in his cot, sometimes give him a dummy. If that doesnt work I pick him up and we sit on the rocking chair having a cuddle. I try not to talk to him too much during this time, just 'shhhhh' and I never bring him out of his room otherwise he thinks its morning and we're all fooked!! I learned that one the hard way

I agree with alice about gradually moving bedtime earlier otherwise youre setting him up for failure, he's never gonna go to sleep at 7.30 if hes used to so much later.

PS dont be embarrassed asking questions!

 

[Emmamb]

I can't remember how I used to get mine into a routine...I always made sure that from been born they always had a wash/bath then pj's/babygro on at the same time in an evening. It seemed to help them distinguish the difference between night and day quite early on xx

 

[FebMum2Be]

Odhráns still in the room with us btw.. When is everyone else moving/moved their babies into their own room? xx

 

[MrsR]

We'll put Seb in his own room when we feel he's ready to go as he sometimes sleeps in bed with me. DD slept in my bed until she was 2/3 years old. He does go in his cot as well but either way we'll do it when we think he's ready to go.

 

[Me, My Girls & I]

k was about his age, purely cos fob couldnt be arsed to do her room when i moved in here i put them both in the same room straight away, she was about 6 months! it might help him settle into his routine if he goes into his own room too? just cos he wont get woken up by you going to bed or anything and he'll see the new room as a new start sort of thing! although its entirely up to you because only you know when you're both ready for it! and yea,, dont feel bad about asking questions! we all have questions that sometimes seem a bit daft to us, but dont seem daft to everyon else iykwim? i didnt word that very well lmao!xx

 

[FebMum2Be]

You did mrs! Yeah see I was thinking that, that a new room might give him an understanding of his new routine, needless to say tonight is down the tubes already.. He's in his walker playing with a ball.. Quiet as a mouse, no programs on just waiting to see him tire a bit and then it's bottle and going to try to put him up to bed.. Arghh why have I let it go on this long

 

[lauren86]

what time did he drop off in the end jennifer? Xxx