How do you all do it?

Right now, We give Rachel a bath around 8:30pm, give her a sippy of soymilk and just hold her in the rocking chair for a little bit until she's drowsy... we try to put her down in the crib, but she wakes up repeatedly-- standing up in the crib for about 30 minutes before we actually get her to go to sleep.

Whenever she wakes up, I'll just go back in there, hug her while she's standing up, and then lay her back down, cover her up , rub her back a sec, and then walk back out...

For those of you that have successful "going to bed" routines, how do you do it???

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I think it all depends on the child. Some kids just don't like going to bed.

We haven't been 100% consistent with a time. We tend to watch her mood for clues that she is tired, so usually around 7:30-8pm the routine starts, but sometimes sooner if she's cranky. Lately she's been asleep by 8pm.

Georgia gets a bath every other night. (I stopped doing it every night after her ear tubes were put in because it's a fight to get the ear plugs in her ears.) So it's either bath/pj's or just a quick wash down and pj's, then a bottle and a cuddle on the couch with Daddy, then he puts her in bed, turns on her aquarium, and she settles right down and goes to sleep. Occasionally she'll sit up and play with her doll for a few minutes (less than 10), but she never fusses or fights it. She's a good sleeper. We're very lucky there.

Does Rachel cry when she's awake in the crib? If not, just let her be instead of going in there. Just a theory, but she might not be settling down because she expects you to come back in and is waiting for you to return. Do you have music in her crib? I know that the lullaby music of the aquarium really seems to help G settle down.

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She doesn't cry, per say... she stands up for a while, and if she doesn't see anyone coming, she makes a crying/whining sound until she hears you coming... then she just stands there again... its like she is just trying to make sure that you are still close by. I've been trying my hardest not to pick her up... I just go and lay her back down and leave...

We have music playing from the stereo in her room, but most nights its drowned out by the sound of her humidifier ...

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Good luck, Dee! It sounds like maybe she's willing to fall asleep on her own if she's not wailing for you. So, thats great! I just spilled my fail story on my "WOOT" thread. I'm no good at this sleep thing right now!

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We do bath (on bath night) jammies, bottle, then lay him down in his crib. Usually he is out, sometimes he will cry for a few minutes then fall asleep.

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The time varies but its always before 8. We give him a bath, then lotion/mini rub/jammies then he gets put into his sleep sack. Then we read his book and kiss him goodnight and in his crib he goes.

lately im having probs with him staying awake in there for 30m or longer at times. but i just let him be even if he is crying. I will check on him if he crys more than 10-15m to make sure he has not pooped because sometimes that is why he stays awake.

I would say honestly she has learned to keep herself awake bacause in her mind her routine looks like this:
bath
sippy
rock
put in crib and chill for a bit
mommy comes gives me loves
go to sleep

She is staying awake to wait for you to come into her room one last time. I wouldnt honestly just try a few nights of letting her alone and not going into her room at all. It may take her a bit but she will go down.

Good luck!

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Allie (25)
Seth (36)


http://zachariah-turner.memory-of.com/
DS Zachariah Nathanyel 9-5-05 angel baby @ 23 weeks
http://www.marchforbabies.org/allieturner

Greyson



July 6, 2007

Miley gets a bottle betweeb 8-8:30 and normally falls asleep eating it while rocking with me... then I lay her in the crib and she is out. Although it needs to be really bright in her room for her to sleep.So we have a small lamp on her dresser

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bath jammies bottle and crib. He goes to sleep Fast. Except right now not much luck since he is learning to climb onto things he wants to be doing it instead of sleep.

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We have been very lucky since almost 12 weeks with our routine. Ava is very easy going when it comes to bed time. Some times we have the same routine but other nights it is totally off. Normally she eats dinner(has her cup of milk with dinner), bath, and then bed. All of this normally happens within 45 mins of eachother. We normally put her down by 7pm. But there are some nights when it is all off and she may not lay down until 8:30 and she gets no bath.

I would just stay constistant on whatever you do. I am a fan of CIO so I would also try that. I think Allie hit the nail on the head when she said that she thinks part of her routine is you coming in there. They are getting smarter.

Good Luck and let us know how it is going.

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I talked to DH about it... last night I changed it up a bit... dinner, play, bath, jammies, read bedtime story, sippy cup, hold for a few minutes and then put her down. She went to sleep easily...

She did wake up last night crying, but I think it was because I didn't turn the humidifier on (which acts as white noise), and when my husband was walking through the hallway talking loudly, she heard him... we let her cry for a few minutes, but when it appeared to be escalating, instead of decreasing, we went in there, kissed her, put her back down and she went to sleep without a fight.

So, I think I have found a solution that might work-- the reading the bedtime story acts as cuddle/down time... I just have to remember to turn the humidifier on every night, so she doesn't hear noise in other parts of the house!

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Wow, you all sound like you have got it down. I have never had an easy time with sleep and Clayton. We have always done a BT routine. Bath, lotion, pjs, book, nurse, and now he is finally letting us rock him instead of walking him. He was just to heavy for that. He wakes up at least once a night, and now with teething it can be 3-4 times. This SUCKS! I am not capable of doing CIO, he wails for a god awful amt of time, until I go pick him up and he zonks out immediately in my arms. I just don't like seeing him so worked up, I mean full blown hiccup cries. It's just too much, he is a VERY stubborn kid, and has always been a pain to get to sleep. I also put on the humidifier for white noise, and sometimes the radio. I always do the radio for naps. I guess I am the only one still in this boat, huh.

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Laura

Mommy to Clayton Thomas 7-26-07



Still breastfeeding and babywearing!!!!

Well, I am with Laura right now and Dean wakes up 3-4 times a night. He will not put himself back to sleep now that he is teething. It makes for a long friggen night and I never
really enter deep sleep myself.

5:30-6pm - Eat Dinner (Hopefully!)

6-7pm - Take a Bath or Play, he gets bath every other night, although I do always wipe him down face, hands regardless. After he eats, I let him play for about 15 min while I clean up or run the bath water. He bathes for about 10 min, then diaper, lotion.

7pm - Sometimes it is earlier and sometimes later...all depending on his mood and if he is throwing fits or if he didn't sleep at daycare well. I make him a 4oz little bottle of 2% milk and give it to him once I lay him in his crib. He lays there and drinks it all. I turn on his radio, shut his door and leave. 10 min later I go in and take the bottle (usually all gone) and put his toothbrush in his mouth to brush his teeth. At this point, he has already stood up because he finished the bottle and does not want to sleep yet or still laying there messing with his Glo-worm. I likely have to lay him back down, put blanket all next to his face and walk out again. He cries, he stands, he lays, gets back up...for about 5 -10 min each night. But his cry could go from wailing to babbling in seconds. I like to listen to him in there talking to himself. Eventually, I realize that the monitor is quiet and I go back in. He always sleeps with knees curled up to chest and face flat into mattress. This freaks me out so I always roll him to his side.

12am, 2am or 4am, etc.. - Honestly, he has always woken up at least 2 times a night. A couple nights in the last year I have had all the way through sleep with him but very rare. But the big thing for me was finally not having him dependent on milk every time he would wake. Now, when he stirs, cries and can't put himself back to sleep on his own...I give him a bottle of water. He drinks about an ounce and rolls back over to go to sleep. With his massive teething right now...I would say I get up out of bed 4 times. It SUCKS. I have tried not tending to him..letting him cry it out, fall back asleep but it does NOT happen. So I do what I have to do...for now.

Bedtime has ALWAYS been hard for DH & I. Admittingly, I made some mistakes as a new mom with Dean and routines, night time, etc.. We do what works best for us but even still...I will try some things different next time. I wish you the best of luck with baby girl!

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WOW I am shocked that so many of you are still getting up so many times per night! There is no way i would be able to function right now if i was still getting up every night with Greyson. 5.5 months was long enough to be getting up.

Im sitting her thinking of some suggestions for you girls to try to get your little ones to sleep better. I can tell you that everything that i have read in books/internet/and other boards says that by this age they clearly know what they are doing IE they know when they wake if they cry long enough you will come. They have the ability to learn that crying gets mommy to come etc..

i feel for you girls for sure! I hope the ones who are waking at night get some sleep soon.

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Allie (25)
Seth (36)


http://zachariah-turner.memory-of.com/
DS Zachariah Nathanyel 9-5-05 angel baby @ 23 weeks
http://www.marchforbabies.org/allieturner

Greyson



July 6, 2007

I guess our rountine is bath, dinner, playtime. At 7 she gets a bottle than we go upstairs, change diaper, get into the sleep sack. I try to read to her but I'm not sure if that soothing her or riling her up more. Give her the bottle again to make sure she got all she wanted. Rock her for 10-12 minutes than she goes in the crib. She will usually perk up at this point and yak for a while until she goes to sleep which can happen in 10 minutes or an hour. We have a firm policy that unless she is screaming we leave her alone.

Laura - We used to have to sit with Reanne on the bouncy ball and bounce her. I swear I thought my arms were going to fall off. We just got rid of that $*&^$(* thing. I can't tell you how happy I am that I can just rock her.

Jilda

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