Bedtime is a sensitive topic amongst new parents, nannies, and carers. I know as a mother of a 17 month old boy, who is loving referred to as Bunny (read my other articles to get the full story on this magnificent creature!).

    Before Bunny (he is a

first and only child at this juncture) I thought I would have the perfect modern family. None of this strict discipline mumbo jumbo that my militant parents insisted upon with me. We would do it my way, and if the little angel felt tired, he would wander off to his room, tuck himself in, or like his father, jump on the lounge, tuck his hand in the waistband of his Spiderman pjs, stretch out like Homer Simpson and began to snore. (Let me tell you, times have certainly changed!)
    This was before I discovered Gina Ford and that little blue book that is either loved or hated by parents and paediatricians. I read it, with a scornful glance across my spectacles, word for word. It sounded like hard work, this sleeping/feeding/sleeping routine. Routine was another bad word in my vocabulary. Heaven forbid I attempt to conform to something so dreadful!
    After about 3 months of sleeplessness (yes, I know it sounds like I am whinging but it was my first one and it was alot to get used to) I decided that there would be no harm in giving a routine a go. I also had other mothers in my mothers group who had adopted this methodology and their kids were doing great, settling easy and sleeping longer. Who's to say that mine wouldn't?
    So one day, we wrote out a schedule for our infant so everyone was on the same page. We etched it into stone tablets and called it our household Gospel and no matter who came over, (Nanna, friends, uncles, babysitters) this is what we did. It was inflexible and unforgiving. We decided to try it for 2 weeks. If we found it was working well for our baby, then we would stick with it.
    From 6 months, Bunny was sleeping through from 6:30PM - 6:30AM. Daylight savings was a transition week for us as we all got on a new cycle, but we stuck to our process and routine, and it begins and ends the same way every day. Boys, I have been told, thrive on routine and children find security in the few things that they "know", such as that after dinner, it is  bath time, then it is time for bed.
    We experience little night waking, and there is no food giving to our son after dinner and before breakfast. He doesn't sleep with a bottle and he associates milk with feeding times and the kitchen, not the cot and a sleep interval. He was off bottles and onto sipping cups at 8 months.  We are working up to dropping 2 day sleeps down to 1 as he dictates that he is ready.
    Kids show signs when they are ready to go to sleep. Rubbing the eyes is a big one, and lack of motor coordination is another. (It is like they are literally running out of energy!) Then there is the ever obvious yawning...
    Bunny still does the same routine every day, even over a year later.  He enjoys dinner around 5:15PM, eats voraciously, enjoys a full cup of milk,  has a play while the kitchen is cleaned up, has a bath at 6PM, is dressed and prepared for bed by 6:30PM. After a dance with mum to Norah Jones, he is tucked in, lights off, door closed and even with a bit of a whinge, is quiet before the 10 minute light goes off to check on him.  Night waking is treated as a pit stop - get in and out as quick as possible. He is never picked up and never spoken to as to not confuse him as to what is a social time and what time is for sleeping and quiet. Bunny has this quirky thing where he will sit up in his sleep, and be perfectly asleep. He will give a little cry and we will go in and find him in this upright position, asleep. (So strange) We lie him down, cover him with Muslin and leave.
    Bunny is not under-loved and there is no lack of love in putting him down for the night at a specific time and having a routine. Although I didn't appreciate it at first, children need boundaries and they cannot set them for themselves until much older. Routines are a lot harder on parents because they require consistency and discipline.  WHATEVER YOUR PATTERN IS, BE CONSISTENT!
    Every child is different and every family moves at its own cycle. Ms. Ford cites that few children will sleep in later if given a later bed time, as their circadian rhythms are sharper than adults and they know when the sun is coming up - they feel it. Kids need between 12-14 hours of sleep. If your child is getting that much sleep and their sleep patterns are not affecting the rest of the household, than you are doing the right thing.  If you have severe sleep disturbances (my niece at 2 woke up at 3am and refused to go back to sleep for a year - her parents went insane!)  there are sleep institutes that your GP or health worker can refer you to - talk to someone and get help!
Cheers and Sweet Dreams to all!
Stephenie