What bed time routine do you use?

We're trying to decide what to use. Kiera has become way too dependent on us or the bottle to fall asleep. Now that she's getting older and has teeth I want to break her of the habit. So what methods do you use or have you tried and what are your thoughts about them? And also for those of you who have used the Ferber method, did it really work that quickly?

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

Whats the ferber method?

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

We use Babywise scheduling and the 5 s'. He goes down at 9pm and wakes at 9am but does get up at 4am for a change.

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

Lately this has become somewhat of an issue for us as well....When I see that Nick is getting tired (around 8:00), I take him to his room and rock him until he is asleep - then I put him in the crib. He will not go to sleep on his own. Also, recently he has started to cry out in the middle of the night - sometimes more than once. Each time this happens I go in there and have to rock him again for like 10 minutes as he will not just settle for me rubbing his back, etc. But then there are some night when he does not wake at all and sleeps 12 hours - there is no pattern to it. I just do not feel comfortable letting him cry, which is what everyone tells me I should be doing. I feel like I am setting myself up for a lot of nights like this by not letting him fall alseep (or back asleep) by himself...but I also feel like I don't want to let him cry because what if something is really bothering him? Ugh - what to do?
Let me know if you use the Ferber method if it works....good luck!

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

You can incorporate whatever works for you. Our is simple since DH works different hours and can't always be here to help out at bedtime. We change his diaper, change him into a sleeper, then give him a bottle and put him to bed after we burp him and cuddle him a little. We do not wait until he's asleep because then he won't learn to put himself to sleep. Every baby has signs of when they are tired (yawning, eyes droopy, staring out into space, etc) and that's when you put them down. They should fall asleep easily at that point (Jesse falls asleep usually within five minutes). Sometimes he cries a little, but then falls asleep. If he wakes during the night, he falls asleep again on his own. Try putting the baby on a schedule and give it a couple weeks to work. Good luck!

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

I too have to get Ryan off the bottle at bed time so Id love to hear what everyone else does. He used to finish his bottle then cry but now he just finishes his bottle and goes right to sleep. Now we are at the part where we finish the bottle BEFORE we get into the crib but have YET to do it we JUST got him to sleep through the night again after almost 2 hellish weeks of teething and middle of the night screaming/crying.

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

I've been doing the Ferber method and didnt even know it!
Basically we do our normal bedtime routine of bath and bottle.. Then I rock him for a while.. but put him into his crib while he is still awake and leave the room.
My doctor told me to do this, while he was young, for my own sake.. so that he would get used to falling asleep on his own.

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

At what age do you start to establish a routine? Do you bathe them every night?

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

we started the routine about 6 months, and were bathing every other night but switched it to everynight to establish the routine.

Veggies/Cereal at 730
play 745-845
Bathtime 845
Bottle & Book 9pm
Bed 915

We used to put him to bed earlier but he got up so darn early (5am!) we'd rather put him to bed late. When he gets a little bit older it will move up earlier because he'll require 12 hours sleep (Oh How I cant Wait!!)


YAY
Tonight I gave him his bottle BEFORE bed and then layed him in the crib awake and he went right off to sleep. This is a good start for us.

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

When you say awake do you mean eyes wide open or are they at the point of opening & closing?

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

For us since about 3 months, its was eyes wide open but ready for sleep. I guess you could say his eyes were heavy, but not like he was dozing off in my arms.

Now he may play with one of his friends for a little while then go off on his own.

Or like tonight we got home late and he did not fall asleep in the car, so when we put him in his crib he laid right down, as we left the room he lifted his head, waved bye bye at us and snuggled back down!

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

WE did a consistent routine about 5 or 6 months. He gets a sippy up of milk, gets a bath, we read a book, then he combs his hair and brushes his teeth and he is in bed by 9. He sleeps 9-9! THis fall when it starts getting darker earlier, we hope to get him to bed by 8.

Re: What bed time routine do you use?

I give marissa her sippy cup around 7:30 8pm and I go and lay down in the bed in her room with her and she will drink a little of the milk then she gives it to me and takes her pacifier and will fall asleep that way. After she is asleep for like 10 minutes I thenm put her in her crib. She will not fall asleep in her crib or put herself to sleep. I have tried to let her cry but it breaks my heart to hear her crying so hard and when I go in the room to sooth her she puts her hands up for me to take her and her little face is all red with tears coming out of her eyes I feel so bad so then I lay in the bed with her and she passes out.
Lately she has been waking up around 2am for a diaper change and then will go back to sleep till like 7 7:30am sometimes later.