Princess's Bedtime Routine

After Princess came home from the NICU we were busy just trying to adjust to life with a baby and working.  So once we (sort of) had that down I realized Princess didn't have any sort of a routine.  Since babies and kids in general tend to thrive on routine I took to the internet to see what other mommies were doing.  As a nurse I work odd hours and my schedule varies every week so a daily routine for Princess is almost impossible.  However, a bedtime routine is the one thing we could keep consistent no matter the night.  Princess had turned three months old the day I instituted a routine, and it was also the first night she slept through the night (halleluiah!). Since I'm a night owl and the farthest thing from a morning person, I have tried to make Princess a late riser.  If you asked her, 6 and 7 a.m. are still considered the middle of the night (as it should be hehe). Prior to instituting a bedtime Princess wasn't settling into her crib until midnight most nights, which I didn't like.  I started putting her bedtime at 11 p.m. then backed it up to 10 p.m. and now it's 9 p.m. since the time changed and Princess never got the memo (shh!).  Ideally I would like her bedtime to be 8 p.m. but her feedings right now aren't working out to where that's realistic (that would make her last feeding at 6ish p.m. and I doubt she would even make it to midnight in that case).  Additionally, ever since Princess turned four months old she decided she's over sleeping through the night; which is currently killing me.  I'm currently researching why (possible sleep regression or not getting full enough at her last feeding) and trialing ways to prevent it.  If I succeed that will be another post.  However, the following is our current bedtime routine, and it generally gets me until at least 3:30 a.m. with a sleeping Princess (she starts waking every three hours after that):

• Every other night 8-8:30 p.m.:  Bath and infant massage (YouTube it if you want to learn how to do it.  Princess loves it thanks to the OT in the NICU who taught me how to do it).
• 8:30-9 p.m.: Last bottle before bed - we sit in her glider in her room with just a dim table lamp and nightlight on. 
• 9-9:30 p.m.: Bedtime story and rocking afterwards.  I also give Princess her pacifier to suck on for the rest of the night at this time.  She prefers Soothies (as recommended by NICU) and MAM (she can hold onto them a lot better by herself).  Additionally, I turn on her Sleep Sheep (see below) to set Princess into "sleep mode".
• After I've rocked Princess to where she's droopy-eyed I put her in her crib, turn off the table lamp, and let her soothe herself to sleep. 

Cloud B Sleep Sheep

I had read that NICU babies get used to machine lights and sounds and tend to like a little light and sound when they sleep when they come home.  Thus I keep a night light on and use the Cloud B Sleep Sheep.  Princess has always fallen asleep with it quickly, and I would recommend it to all mommies (especially preemie mommies).  I had gotten it for her when I was pregnant because the sheep was cute.  However, once Princess came home from the NICU she was still extremely sensitive to sound.  I had had a crib aquarium that played music but it was too jarring and stimulating for her.  She was too busy paying attention to it to work on falling asleep.  I used it for about a week before I nixed that little item.  So next I tried the Sleep Sheep, and an easily-soothed baby was born! It plays nature sounds (rain, ocean, whale, and heartbeat) that are soft and soothing. Rain and ocean are my favorite.  I'm not too keen on the heartbeat and whale sounds.  The whale is a little scary to me and, as a nurse, the heart beat isn't up to snuff for my liking ;).  It affixes to the crib for safe sleep (see picture).  You can also adjust the volume so it was a lot lower when Princess was just sprung from NICU as opposed to it's current volume.  Also, it has a timer for 20 minutes or 45 minutes.  This is great for extending battery life.  I have yet to change the batteries and I use it on the 45 minute setting every night.  I also turn it on when I put her back to bed after feedings.  I love it so much I bought her the travel-sized one for her car seat and stroller for Christmas.

At the time Princess used to favor her right side and the wall she stared at was pretty plain so I wanted to give her something to gaze at while she was falling asleep.  So I got Princess the Cloud B Twilight Turtle which projects stars that slowly change colors on the wall and ceiling, which is cool to watch.  However, Princess was too stimulated by it, and I had to return it.  I liked it but I would recommend it for an older child.  It was really cute, and I was sad it inhibited Princess sleep.

I hope this helps you and your babies get some better sleep!! Sweet dreams mommies!

*Please note I am not compensated by any items mentioned or store linked here.  This reflects my personal views only.