Nice routine
@KWL , I gotta take some pointers from you! Initially we would bed down anytime from 9-11pm onwards, but after 1 particularly bad meltdown episode, I instilled a bedtime routine as well. Problem is, I wanted bath time to be the Pavlov's bell, but it had to be at 5+pm, any later and my MIL would keep nagging that it's too cold. It was previously at 6++, 7pm.
But since birth, she had already been used to after bath time being the race starter to stock up on milk. But that makes it difficult for me to do anything else between 6-10pm, where previously it would be from 8-10, 10 being my target bed time. Moreover, MIL likes to carry her to sleep in between, so anywhere from 7-9pm she would have another 30mins nap while I shower/have dinner. I have always been uncomfortable about this as I think it makes her unable to sleep deeply fast enough come bedtime. But MIL sees it as a source of pride to be able to lull her to sleep, where I have to use my boobs.
I want this to change, cos I want to find a way to do a bathe-eat-play-sleep routine, not the current play-bathe-eat-sleep. Maybe it's too soon for her? At 4mths better?
Your post has reminded me of where my mistakes lie, and I will try and correct them right away.
I'm thinking of:
- changing my shower time to showering with her. But, logistics. The infant bathtub insert is fast becoming too small for her, right now it is snug, and I don't know if she can tahan sitting in that cramped toilet for the 15mins I take to shower before her turn in her tub. Would I have to lie her down in her tub on a towel first?
- delay bath time till 7pm (my preferred) or shift it to morning (difficult, MIL nags about it being too cold). Afternoons are out as I sometimes go out to run errands.
- have an additional hot wipe down session before bed time. This might work. Hrmm.
- revert my shower time to daddy's baobao time. But this means MIL misses out on what she thinks is bubbles' bedtime in her arms. Aka her bonding time. I don't want to deprive her of that either, but she does have an afternoon baobao time w bubbles what. :-/ Haiz, mil/dil r/s is so complex!
The bedding down routine is almost exactly the same as yours, at about 8, I turn down the lights, turn off all noise makers (music, Netflix), nurse her quietly, cot. About an hr later she would want more milk, nurse again, daddy baobao/burp, cot. By this time it's usually 10++ 11pm, and she would be out till around 2-3 am, if I'm lucky, 4. Feed, then back to sleep, up at 6+7, daytime cluster feed.
Eh, sorry ah, thinking out loud. Any suggestions would be appreciated!