Routine at 8 weeks old??

[SparkleUK]

Should an 8 week old have a nap/feeding routine or is it too early?!
I'm still feeding on demand, and she sleeps when she wants to sleep apart from at night where she goes to sleep at 9pm, and wakes once at 4/5am.

At what age do you start putting them down for naps in cot at specific times?

 

[Button#]

With a night like that I wouldn't change a thing! We started putting in a bedtime routine at 3 months.

I fed on demand until he started dropping feeds himself. For naps I just let him sleep when he wanted until he started to get fussy about 4 months old and then I had set awake times rather than set nap times. By which I mean I aimed to have him asleep 90 minutes after the last time he woke. Once he was older and dropped to two naps a day then I set a time.

He slept on me for naps until about 7 months so I didn't put him in his cot for naps until then.

 

[SparkleUK]

Ah righto sounds like I'm on track then!!
Difficult to know when it's time to do stuff when it's your first!!!

 

[HanaK]

Our LO is 12 weeks and has had a routine since 6 weeks. We found at 8 weeks we had to start putting him to bed upstairs because as he became more aware if his surroundings, he wouldn't settle in his basket downstairs with us and wasn't sleeping until we went to bed at 11pm. As he was overtired we had trouble with naps and cryinh for an hour every evening. Since we started a proper night time routine he's been a different baby! I'm not suggesting you need one though, every baby is different!

We put LO in his basket upstairs for naps (light room, not quiet) too as he struggles to settle downstairs. He has a basic nap routine of feed, play, nap and sleeps every 1.5 to 2 hours until around 5 o'clock. His last feed is 6:30/7pm upstairs and then it's bath and bed. Over the next few weeks I'm going to transition him into his cot, first for naps and then at night. Works for us but I'm not suggesting you do the same!

 

[SparkleUK]

Thanks Hanak that helps a lot! Just gives me an idea of what others are doing!
She's already in a big travel cot at end of my bed as she outgrew Moses basket! X

 

[susan_1981]

I started a bedtime routine for my son at 5 weeks old. I didn't think it would work so early but thought I'd give it a go. We'd put him to bed awake and watch him on the baby monitor downstairs. If he cried or didn't settle, we'd go back up and bring him down but he never did. He always settled himself off to sleep and it was around then that he started sleeping much better. He's been a fantastic sleeper ever since so whether I just got lucky or it was the routine, I don't know but I do know I'll attempt it again with this baby x

 

[yazoo]

My LO is 8 weeks old and and we don't have a strict routine. He can't handle any longer than 1.5 hours of being awake so I try to have him asleep before he gets over tired. He feeds on demand and will nap either in his cradle upstairs, in a sling on me or in buggy if we go for a walk. I start bedtime routine around 7.30/8. Sometimes he will sleep straight away and other times he fights it and it could be 9.30/10 before he settles fully.

 

[cocosianelle]

Our LO is 12 weeks and has had a routine since 6 weeks. We found at 8 weeks we had to start putting him to bed upstairs because as he became more aware if his surroundings, he wouldn't settle in his basket downstairs with us and wasn't sleeping until we went to bed at 11pm. As he was overtired we had trouble with naps and cryinh for an hour every evening. Since we started a proper night time routine he's been a different baby! I'm not suggesting you need one though, every baby is different!

We put LO in his basket upstairs for naps (light room, not quiet) too as he struggles to settle downstairs. He has a basic nap routine of feed, play, nap and sleeps every 1.5 to 2 hours until around 5 o'clock. His last feed is 6:30/7pm upstairs and then it's bath and bed. Over the next few weeks I'm going to transition him into his cot, first for naps and then at night. Works for us but I'm not suggesting you do the same!

We've been having the same with our LO. She is 8 weeks on Thursday and in the day she is pretty good with naps but as soon as daddy comes home she just fights her sleep. Last night she probably spelt a total of an hour ish between 4pm-9pm. I've definitely noticed she is more aware of her surroundings now and doesn't want to miss out on anything. I think tonight we are going to try bath, bottle then up in her Moses basket rather than downstairs with us.

 

[Taurus8484]

I just wish mine would sleep.....he is a horrible sleeper. Put him down he is awake in 10 mins. Last night started bedtime routine at 6:30. Crawled into bed at 2am. That's how long it takes to get him asleep and stay asleep.

 

[HanaK]

I think for my LO it is a mixture of luck and routine. His routine has enabled him to get quality sleep which he wasn't getting before (from half 7 ish onwards) which then means he is more settled during the day. I also think the fact that we are consistent with his naps and bedtime means that he understands that upstairs in his basket is sleep time. It's like we have a different baby. However I'm not suggesting what we do will work for every baby!

Our bedtime routine has eliminated the 'witching hour' which may just be coincidence but I think is more than likely because he's getting enough sleep now! For our LO, there was too much going on around him for sleep when we had him downstairs with us!