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My daughter is 10 mos old now and we've been doing this bedtime routine since she was sleep trained at around 4 mos....although a routine is helpful even before you sleep-train.

From 4-7 mos, her bedtime was 7pm cause she slept a lot more at night (11+ hrs) with shorter naps but now her bedtime is 8pm. She normally wakes up around 7am. Our full bedtime routine consists of: bathe & brush teeth, lotion, dress in pjs, nurse (some people don't like to nurse right before bedtime but I'm ok with it), rock her in my arms while singing rockabye baby, place in crib, and say "Go to sleep, baby girl." This used to take almost 45 minutes (bathing her took longer cause she was more fragile then and she used to nurse longer) but now it only takes about 25 minutes.

If we are out and a bath is not possible then she just gets the basic routine which is the last portion starting with nursing. Incidentally, her naptime routine is exactly the same as the basic routine (sometimes without the nursing) to keep things consistent.

Whatever your routine, be consistent. I tried to keep my routine as simple as possible so that it would be easy for other people (dad, grandparents, etc.) to duplicate in case they are babysitting. When she's older, I'll probably substitute the "rockabye baby" with a bedtime story.

All that being said, I'm not too strict on the actual time she goes to sleep. If she was woken up prematurely from a nap and is super tired then I'll move bedtime up 30 minutes. I check my baby app (Baby ESP) to see how many hours she's already logged to make sure she gets her average amount of sleep (currently 13 1/2 hrs).

I reaching back a bit to recall how we did this.

1. What time do you begin your bedtime routine? How long does it last?

We timed it with the last meal of the day and when the baby started to rub their eyes, get a bit fussier, etc. It always takes longer at first, but it will get better.

2. What is your routine?

It is all about the routine. My son was a terrible sleeper, but we were consistent even during those challenging first 10 months or so and I think in part it is the reason for his amazing sleep habits now. We had the 4 b's of bedtime; bath, book, boob, bed Now we have bath, book, bed. I literally snuggle him on my shoulder once he is in his pjs for a few moments and he is usually done. Now that i have broken the first rule of sleep club...

3. Do you begin your routine whether baby likes it or not?

I think if you start a consistent routine, baby will be ready for bed around that same time and will associate the routine, anticipate what happens next and go with it.

4. What happens when you are out with baby and her bedtime arrives?

It happens. By keeping what you can and being flexible, you are helping to teach your baby to be flexible to and that is a very good thing. You can't always be at home, you can't always get started at the same time. It's unrealistic.