LilSisShelly

Do you think that having a more set routine might help the little one deal with my mom not being around? If she is set in a routine on nights that mom is here, would she be better going to sleep on nights without her?

Mommy2Five

Routines are always a comfort to small children. However if the routine involves your mom rocking her or otherwise being there with her when she falls asleep then it probably won't help much. But if everything is done the same, such as meal, bath time, diaper change, a particular lullaby CD, etc, then it should certainly be some help. You could also have your mom record herself singing a lullaby or reading a book if that is something she typically does at night.

alexis

That is something we were worried about when the girl was born. We decided for her that it would be best she learn to sleep on her own/get sleepy and so on. Just in case Mommy or Daddy wanted to go out for the evening with a babysitter or something like that. I think we were blessed though as most kids don't take to that too well.

PurpleFDU

My routine changed constantly when I was young and I have always been told I did just fine. Especially for the first two years some nights my mom put me down, some nights my dad, some my grandmom, some my granddad, some my aunt, some my cousin, etc. It was like pass the baby while my parents both worked weird schedules.

Part of me says a routine is nice to get your child to sleep with as little fuss as possible, but the other says a child needs to understand that its not how you go about things but who you're with being a trusted person that makes it ok.

meri

Its very well possible a routine can help but it can also hurt. What happens when Mom/Dad need to be away for awhile and the child has never been used to that at all. I would weigh the pros and cons first.

LilSisShelly

Um, routine isn't about the PERSON who is performing it. It is about a sequence of events that lead the child into an ever sleepier state, till they learn to associate the routine with going to bed.

The person shouldn't be important, and really, having a few different people do it would be a benefit. Mummy2five-how long did you routine take? What's a good time to aim for, for wind down?

nina

You might want to try getting a routine started when your mom is there, like this: you rock her or what ever it is you and your mom do, while your mom is there and then your mom rock her while you are there. That way, she gets used to both of you rocking her. There is another thing to consider too. Some babies just don't sleep good at night. Our youngest is three and she has just recently started sleeping all night. There were times, with both of our kids, that I was up rocking a couple of hours a night- at like 2 A.M.! This might just be something that has to be got used to.