my husband works nights so Willow goes to bed around midnight. we take turns giving her a bath (she's not dirty but she loves being in water!) and a massage, fresh diaper and jammies, a nice cozy swaddle, then i feed her while rocking and singing. she sits upright in my arms or a swing (or a combo of both) for 30 minutes after eating because she has GERD. she's zonked with a big grin on her face after all that so i just lay her down
i go to bed about an hour later, my husband comes to bed whenever he gets tired (usually 4-5am). so we have that "window of opportunity"
i have no idea when she'll feel like falling asleep on her own, but i love spending such a cozy time with her so i won't mind doing it for years if need be.

