When to Introduce a Sleep Routine

[Seekrit]

Cobey's off to childcare soon and, as much as I love child-led parenting, they can't facilitate that. Cobey understands that the cot = sleep. I can put him down in there at regular nap times and he'll go to sleep without a fuss, but sometimes he's sleepy earlier and sometimes he does have a fuss about and he'll be up for another hour.

So when is appropriate to start a daily routine? And what is yours?

[Milliner]

With DS I make sure that he is in bed before he has been awake for 2 hours in the morning and then when he wakes up he will be awake for another 2 hours then back to bed. He is nearly 11 months now so a bit older than cobey. I know that some childcare they just put all this kids to bed at the same time, So I guess I would go by what routine they have because thats what they would be doing IYKWIM

[Seekrit]

the daycare has a seperate room and asks me to write down his routine so they can follow it... so I can't ask them their routine.

Cobey's a bit awake 2 hours, then sleep, then awake 2 hours then short nap, then awake 2 hours and long nap as well. I often wonder if he sleeps too much :p

[aimz]

Hi Seekrit

with Chloe (she is the same age) i go by her tired signs but tell my day care mum that she stays up for 1 1/2-2 hours then has a nap which is usually at least 1 1/2 hours long. She generally has two solid naps and a 45 minute cat nap a day and 12 hours at night.

I think that putting bubs in a you must go to bed now routine with child care is a bit hard on your part as we all know they change every day!!!

[Seekrit]

I understand what you say to your daycare mum, but this is what's been requested of me by my daycare.

Does anyone have any help on if it's too early, or how to at least, establish a nap-sleep routine?

[~EmsMum~]

ive had a routine ever since emma was around 2 months.

shes usually up at 6-7am up for 2-3 hours then i put her down for a sleep around 8-9 am

its usually up for 2-3 hours then sleep

then after shes had her 4pm sleep I keep her up till 8pm and thats it for the night

[~mia&ryan~]

Westarted DD on a routine at about 6 or 8 weeks. She copes better with some structure. But every bub is different.

This was her routine at your bubs age:

7am - wake and bottle
7 - 8am - play
8am - 9.30/10 - nap
10 - 11am - play
11am - bottle
11 - 11.30/12 - quiet play/read to her
11.30/12 - nap for 2 - 21/2 hours
2pm - 3pm- play/outside time
3pm - bottle
3.30/4 - short arvo nap 45mins to 1 1/2
play then bath/book/bottle
bed at 6.45pm

Hope this helps a bit.

[SilverStarfish]

I'm a teacher and in my previous life I ran a the nursery room of childcare centre. While I used to ask the parents about the general routine of the baby/infant, honestly like someone else already pointed out, they are can be so different day to day. I really used to go (within reason of course) with what the child wanted to do.

i.e bottles when they were hungry, sleep when they needed it etc.

But then I also used to stick to a very tight schedule if that is what the parent wanted. I had one little baby in particular who's parents were devotees of the Babywise books, so I had to sleep/play/feed this poor little kiddo every 4 hours on the dot.

If you are worried about writing down the routines, have a chat with Cobey's teacher. See how much detail they really want/need. You might find it's enough to say that you like him to do the feed/play/sleep routine, that he has his dummy just for rest time and he like to sleep on his tummy etc etc

[Sheer Bliss]

when DD started daycare (11months) i wrote down her routine as requested, but also made note that we were flexible with her routine and if she seemed tired/cranky to put her to bed earlier. In the early stages too i told them that part of our sleep routine was to go to the back door & say 'night night' to the dogs, so suggested they try this too to help prepare her for sleep. The said they followed this as they commented that she waved at the door whenever they did it, so i think they did.

They always wrote down on her sheet each day what times her sleeps were & they always varied a little as some days she was tired earlier. As there were 2 main carers in her room, they soon noticed her tired signs and she still does the same thing there as at home.

If you write down your rough routine, but let them know it is flexible, they should be able to follow it.