What does your "winding down" period consist of?

[IzzyTheTerrible]

In brief, LO is 8 months old and we've had him for just over 2 months so we're all still trying to get used to each other. 

I'm still trying to hammer out a solid routine, and a wind down period for him. 

At night, he gets a bath, dimmed lights, bottle, massage, book or soft talking and then he's off to dream land.  During the day is not so simple.  Its bright out, and he wants to play, not sleep.   

Just curious what other people's night and day time wind down periods look like, how long, what they consist of, etc.

[Blanca78]

After dinner we start getting our DD (5.5 months) ready by having DH read to her. He's a very animated reader :) so it's not super restful necessarily, but it sets the stage for bedtime. They read on our bed (her crib is across the room) and then also have just a sort of low key talk/play/cuddle time, which I often join in on. This lasts for 10-20 minutes. Then I take her to the changing table in the other room and give her a little massage with lotion (she starts grinning excitedly when she sees me rubbing my hands together--so cute!), put a fresh diaper on, and put her into her pajamas. Then I take her to the living room to kiss her dad good night, and then I nurse her to sleep in dim light with noise machines on by 7:30 or 8:00.

During the day I take her into the bedroom, draw the blinds, turn on noise machines. Then I read her a board book, swaddle her, and either nurse or rock her with a pacifier depending on whether she's hungry. Sometimes I sing or say shhh over and over. VERY occasionally she doesn't seem to want either of these so I put her in the crib and she will sometimes just fall asleep on her own (not very often). This whole routine takes about 15-20 min depending on how long she nurses for.

[earlyworm]

My DS is 7 months old.  

Night time is bath, lotion, PJs, brush the two teeth, read a book if he's not fussing, and then nurse to sleep.  Sometimes I have to add on swaying and singing too, if the nursing doesn't cut it.  

Nap time is not as much of a routine.  I try to walk around holding him for the 10 minutes or so before a nap, change his diaper, and then lie straight down to nurse.  This has worked for months until just recently, when he's started refusing to nap.  So maybe it's just the age.  Not sure what to try next for naps!  

Good luck!

[~Adorkable~]

i suck at night and nap routines, been thinking a lot about them recently as my 9 month olds are starting to get way too into their day to bother to nap at times. i had such easy nappers for this whole time that i got spoiled and didn't form any routines.

but i worry that without something formed now and the positive associations it brings, we will have issues next year.

im sure a lot of it is the twins thing, its hard and a lot more time consuming to do everything twice and harder still if they start getting fussy and need to go down in a timely fashion.

one thing that i will do for naps is that i have black out shades, and though i dont close them totally, i do keep the room dim. and we go and relax and interact on my bed in a dim room and laying down (even though they can sit up just fine) 

i will keep my eye on this thread and hopefully get some good ideas for what to add as well

(my twins have never had huge luck with mobiles, they keep both up for different reasons, one gets worked up in a slightly frightened way they other gets argumentative with it. they were at times good for entertaining them when awake, but had not been good for sleep. this may have been because they were not around them when very little, so the association was not put in place)

[IzzyTheTerrible]

Lady, I still cannot fathom how you handle twins.  I'm barely keeping my sanity with one!

Just wanna give you kudos for them still even being alive, and even more - napping from time to time!

[DaisyMae08]

Do you use a sleep sack or any sor of swaddle?  My guy is 9 mos old and knows that sleep sack = sleep time.  He'll immediately start rubbing his eyes when I zip him up in it.  We also do blackout shades and noise machine.

[IzzyTheTerrible]

I'm honestly not sure he was ever swaddled.  I tried wrapping him a blanket a few times thinking that might help with the transition of coming to us and he kicked like crazy and wiggled until I let him out of it.

[DaisyMae08]

You could try a sleep sack.  Much less restrictive than a swaddle.  Arms are free and the leg area is actually quite roomy. 

[~Adorkable~]

mine are just weening from swaddles currently and we use a sleep sack with their arms just tucked inside still, it lets them move but gives a sense of containment, seems to be nice.  flexible swaddles are wonderful, but yeah if they did not grow up with them, i am guessing it would be hard or useless to start now

[annaconda]

My surefire (which we have cultivated over 5 months)
Nursery, blinds, white noise machine, nice tight "cheater" swaddle with velcro.

Sit in the rocking chair, holding lo, still, pacifier in.
Within five minutes, he will be droop in arms and ready to put down.

Sometimes just stillness can be so helpful in winding down quickly. I listen for the breathing hitch that says I'm ready now, mama

[MrsBone]

sounds very similar to my routine, although DH is in charge of our 3 year old and I'm in charge of the baby. Noise machine, nurse, paci, dim light..all that lol.

Originally Posted by Blanca78 

After dinner we start getting our DD (5.5 months) ready by having DH read to her. He's a very animated reader :) so it's not super restful necessarily, but it sets the stage for bedtime. They read on our bed (her crib is across the room) and then also have just a sort of low key talk/play/cuddle time, which I often join in on. This lasts for 10-20 minutes. Then I take her to the changing table in the other room and give her a little massage with lotion (she starts grinning excitedly when she sees me rubbing my hands together--so cute!), put a fresh diaper on, and put her into her pajamas. Then I take her to the living room to kiss her dad good night, and then I nurse her to sleep in dim light with noise machines on by 7:30 or 8:00.

During the day I take her into the bedroom, draw the blinds, turn on noise machines. Then I read her a board book, swaddle her, and either nurse or rock her with a pacifier depending on whether she's hungry. Sometimes I sing or say shhh over and over. VERY occasionally she doesn't seem to want either of these so I put her in the crib and she will sometimes just fall asleep on her own (not very often). This whole routine takes about 15-20 min depending on how long she nurses for.