Finding Bedtime

Like the majority of new parents a good night's sleep is the Holy Grail. Last night I think I might have had one.

I say think because getting up to feed B in the night and actually waking up in the night haven't been the same thing for many months. Quite often I think B has slept all night only to remember several night feeds throughout the course of the day - a bit like remembering misdemeanours from a messy night out.

Today, that hasn't happened- I honestly believe that B slept from at least 11.30 until 5.30 (that's 6 hours UNBROKEN sleep).  We actually put him to bed at 6pm but before we went to bed he woke up twice for teething medicine and his dummy.

We've messed about with bed time for a while. When he was 5 weeks he wen to bed at 9pm, then at about 3 months he started falling asleep during play at 7.30, then 7. Now we make sure he goes to bed earlier so he can have his full bedtime routine- it takes longer but it makes for a better night. When we do this he usually only wakes up once or  twice.

At 3 months he slept brilliantly- from 7.30 until 2.30 then until 6 but once he hot four months something changes. Falling asleep on one of our laps in front of the TV didn't cut it and he was up every 2 hours. We moved him to his own room, gave him an extra milk feed in the day and started solids during this period, but nothing worked. It had to be down to the bedtime routine.  We have been getting better with it, but saw no dramatic improvement.

That is until last night, when I believe I found the culprit: The Late Afternoon Nap. Waking up just in time for bath time is simply not cool. Yesterday I played with my grouchy baby, who only wanted to hit me in the face and didn't let him sleep and it worked! He was shattered, but not grisly at bath time and only took 10 minutes to fall asleep.

I've also removed the story from the bedtime routine as B finds it simulating. I now sing him a song.

So this evening we'll see if we've cracked it.

Wish me luck!