How soon can you establish a bedtime routine for baby?

[like2sleep]

How soon can you start establishing a bedtime routine for an infant? I would love to get her in the habit of going to bed and getting up and a certain time. So maybe mom can get a little more sleep?

[cheche]

Depends the child, the home and the strict schedule if you keep it. My first was not as nice about sleeping early on, not for at least the first 6 or so months. My second however ended up sleeping 10/hrs a night from five weeks on. Do you have any routines?

[Silverlady]

I agree that every child is different however, I think a routine is important from an early age. My daughter's 3 year old never makes a fuss at bedtime because she knows there would be no point. Her 4 month old sister is already sleeping through and it took only a couple of months of slightly altering a regular routine to find out what suited her best.

[Jana25]

Every baby is going to be different, just like every adult is different. Some people like to go bed later and wake up later, while others will go to bed early and wake up early. I would not force a routine on a baby until at least 6 months and it will still be tough, since they may still be waking up at night wanting a bottle.

[Insomniac]

I think that a baby should have a routine as early as two months old. It might not be your schedule but you will notice that baby has one. It may take another 2 months to get the baby switched to your schedule. Don't worry, they will eventually get on to your routine as opposed to theirs.

[Jenna]

I'm certain my daughter was night-owl when she was born. she'd sleep all day and be up all night. My mom suggested gentle classical music right on 8pm, along with gentle back rubbing and she'd fall right to sleep. That was when she was two months old and she'd sleep through the whole night from that point on.

[like2sleep]

We try to get her down for the night between 7 and 8 put this week she has refused to sleep until around 9 and it seems she has given up daytime napping. She fusses all afternoon because she needs a nap but she won't sleep. She will be 8 weeks old tomorrow, and (yay) she slept five hours straight two nights in a row!