Are you strict with DC's bedtime routine?

[Tammy]

I am. :rolleyes: And DH is not. Go figure. Maybe because I'm the one trying to settle DD down once he gets her riled up and that's next to impossible then. It just goes so much smoother when she stays in her routine, and goes to bed without a fight. Just wondering if anyone else is anal like me??

[DietCokeLover]

We have a routine, but it is flexible within the routine. For example, we don't always have a bath every night. But, we always have getting in our jammies, brushing teeth, story time and then prayer time before bed.

[lmwbasye]

We are fairly strict but with our move and various changes lately, it has been a bit more flexible. Overall, though, we have a strict routine that both of us follow and it seems to help the boys get right to sleep without any trouble (knock on wood).

[LarsMal]

Definitely not strict...and right now I don't even know if we have a "routine"! I am looking forward to the end of summer/start of preschool so we can get back into one. My kids used to be such great sleepers with a good bedtime routine. It's all gone out the window since Baby C came along!

[maestramommy]

We are pretty strict, but we know when to flex the time.

[AnnieW625]

Yes pretty much what Maestra Mommy said. We have one time and are usually no more later than 30 minutes of that. Elisa is in bed by 8:30 but some nights it is 9:00 at the very latest. DD still naps during the day for 2 hrs at daycare so we haven't had to do the in bed before 8 routine yet.

[brittone2]

Not particularly. My kids' bedtimes vary. DD is 2.5 and still usually naps 1.5-2 hours daily. If I need her to go to bed early, sometimes skipping her nap works (sometimes it doesn't). Sometimes she just isn't tired enough to nap and that means she'll go to bed a bit earlier.

Both kids are generally night owls and then sleep in late (like 10 am or later). If they go to bed late, they sleep in even later. Neither goes to school or preschool (we homeschool) so we can be flexible. As long as their total number of hours of sleep is good, I don't worry.

DS is 5 and we have a routine in that he knows after a bit we just want to be d.o.n.e for the night. So as long as he's in his room, I don't care if he plays for a bit, or listens to CDs/books on CD like he often does...as long as I'm done my part.

[KpbS]

We have a routine we follow but the only thing we are strict on is the time. DS1 is early to rise no matter what. If he goes to bed late, he wakes even earlier than his "normal." Since everyone is happier when better rested we stick to the early bedtime (7 pm) and make allowances for special events, traveling, etc. 7 pm til 6 am works for us--I just can't do 5 am on a regular basis ;)

[elektra]

I try to be flexible within reason. And actually some of the stuff that DH has done differently has not been detrimental to DD's sleep at all. However, I am anal about not getting DD riled up right before bed. DH has done that a few times too. (Arg!) But even he who has never picked up a sleep book, agrees that it's not wise to have a tickle fight 2 seconds before bed time.

[kijip]

Not since my older son stopped needing the same routine every night. Before that HE was the one "enforcing" the ritual because that is what he needed. We are pretty casual about it now.

My 7th month old is just on his own schedule, nurses and then goes to sleep about the same time every night.

[BeccaB.]

We have a routine; bath, playtime, story, songs, bed. It doesn't always happen at the same time though. My son is only 7 months and his nap schedule is still somewhat flexible, so it depends on how the day goes as to when he gets to bed. We're also flexible about being away from home and putting him in the pack n' play at a friends or family house.

[citymama]

We have a routine, but I am SO not anal about it. And we pay the price (but also reap the benefits of evenings out etc)!

[mommyp]

We have a consistent routine that we both follow, but like pp, we now have a good sense of when to be flexible with it (ie. no bath, extra stories, little later etc.) It took some practice to know how she deals with changes, but overall the routine is what DD needs. She has a pretty early bedtime since she dropped her 2nd nap.

[TwinFoxes]

We have a short routine. Jammies, mommy and Daddy sing the sleepy song (don't ask), story, sleep. Pretty much at the same time because the girls get sleepy around the same time each night (7-7:30pm) We do NOT do baths before bed because little D is still afraid of the bath, and it's not relaxing for anyone involved.

[carolinamama]

Pretty strict around here. DS2 wakes early - if he makes it to 6:00 we are ecstatic since it is usually 5:00. He needs to be in bed at a reasonably early time. We were much more flexible before he came along since DS1 would sleep until 8:00 or later in the mornings.

DH works pretty long hours and isn't always home in the evenings. I need them to go down fairly early and easily to maintain my sanity, therefore I am quite strict when it's just me with the kiddos.