Bedtime/Nap routine for EBF babies?

Question

LO is 5 weeks old and I’m trying to create a good bedtime routine. 
Day be day his sleep is getting worse. He doesn’t nap well and doesn’t sleep well through the night. 
We breastfeed on demand and this often results in falling asleep at the breast. This has ultimately led to difficulty in falling asleep without nursing. 
I know my guy is still young but I’d like ideas so I can start getting a good routine down for him to make it a little easier when I go back to work at 12 weeks.

Answer

Check out the book Sleep Sense

Answer

Nothing wrong with nursing to sleep, it's not going to do him any harm! Fussiness/the witching hour peaks at 6 weeks and then babies naturally start sleeping longer at night, so hopefully you are almost through the worst of it! Sleep begets sleep so try to maximize daytime sleep and that should help with nighttime sleep. We turn the lights down/off an hour or two before bedtime (although it's getting harder now that days are getting longer in the US). It's hard to have much of a routine or "bedtime" when they're still waking up every 3-4 hours so I really think it will be better soon. The point is just to have cues the baby recognizes to mean that sleep is coming soon. So you can decide what you want, a bath or book maybe. I hope that's a little helpful, good luck. ❤️

Answer

following !! I have the same problem. my LO is 4.5 weeks old. she cluster feeds 😬 I read to try and create anighttime routine so I strip her down to her diaper and apply this baby oil I got from a boutique and give her a gentle massage while doing so. i feel like it jas helped a little bit so far. I also put her in a sleeper instead of a swaddle. you can always try different sleepwear (sleeper, gown, swaddle blanket vs swaddle sack, swaddle with arms in vs swaddle with arms free). sometime I put my LO in the swing to help her fall asleep after a feeding. it varies on if it works or not 🤷

Answer

since you'll be going back to work, I'm assuming you'll be using bottles. Maybe he can still fall asleep drinking his milk 🤷‍♀️

Bedtime/Nap routine for EBF babies?

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