Following a Bedtime Routine

Do you have a bedtime routine for your little one(s)? We didn't get Andrew on one until just recently. I think it was a combination of our cluelessness and extreme tiredness that made us hold out so long!

Now that we have Andrew settling into a routine, however, bedtime is much more of a joy. At four months old, we're finally getting blessed 8-hour stretches of sleep more often and I enjoy my nightly quiet time reading to and nursing the baby before bed.

So, what's our routine?

6:30pm: Rice cereal
7:00pm: Bathtime (& kiss Daddy goodnight)
7:15pm: Bedtime Story (Oh the Things You Can Think by Dr. Seuss)
7:30pm: Nurse (alone in quiet bedroom)
8:00pm: Sleep!

Of course, this bedtime routine is still new for us, so we have the occasional snafu. Sometimes Andrew won't fall asleep until later or he'll wake at 1am rather than 4am for a dreamfeed. Also, a trip away from home can create chaos, especially if we get stuck in traffic during cereal time on the way back!

Snafus and all, the whole family is calmed by our nightly routine, so--even if Andrew sleeping longer can really be attributed to his stomach getting bigger--I'm glad we finally got on the bandwagon. 

Is your routine similar to ours or do you not use a routine at all? I'm also curious to know if you rotate bedtime stories or if you stick to one like we do. At this point I can recite Oh the Things You Can Think by heart!