Bedtime

[AustinKate]

Another sleep-related question to throw out there...

What time do you mamas put down your babies for the night? My little guy has been falling asleep around 10 pm. I read that you should start getting them to sleep for the night closer to 8pm on weeknights, but I haven't had much luck getting him to sleep, other than a nap, before 10. He sleeps pretty consistently now from 10 pm until 3:30, then again until 7 am. We're going to have to start waking up earlier a few days a week to get him to daycare come mid-May.

Maybe I could make it so his last nap merges with his night time sleep? I've met other mamas here in my city who say they've done that, and their kiddos sleep for 13 or so hours pretty well. But then I don't know how I'd use the Miracle Blanket, which has been a saving grace and is also pretty adamant in its instructions in saying the baby shouldn't be in it for more than 8-10 hours.

[HappiLeigh]

Originally Posted by AustinKate

I read that you should start getting them to sleep for the night closer to 8pm on weeknights, but I haven't had much luck getting him to sleep, other than a nap, before 10.

That doesn't make any sense. The amount of time a baby sleeps is important, not which particular hours. You just have to figure out the optimal hours for your particular baby/family. My DD has almost always gone to bed at 10, except for the year she was 2, when she wasn't taking long enough naps to get her optimal amount of sleep so for a while she had to go to bed earlier. Now everyone in my family (except night-owl me, when I'm not over-tired) goes to bed at 10.

[Nicole730]

I think it really depends on the baby. If he is going to sleep at 10, then that is probably what he needs to do.

My first went to bed when we did, around 10 and pretty much did that until we got sick of not having alone time at night and started going to sleep around 8:30 or so when he was 6 months old or so.

As far as the blanket, I'm not sure what kind we have, we got it at a rummage. But, I don't velco/swaddle her in until 11pm. And then I take it off at 5 or 6am, for some reason she stirs at that time and I cuddle her back to sleep in bed with me for the last couple hours of sleep.

The baby goes to sleep for the night now, anytime between 6 and 7:30 and will stay sleeping until about 11pm, when I wake her up to change her and nurse her. If I don't wake her up ( or even if I do but not nurse) she will sleep until about 3am to nurse. Then again until 8 am to nurse. Sometimes she is up at 5-6am, but goes back to sleep without nursing. She goes to sleep on her own though, because I had no idea a baby would go to bed that early...she is definitely not as "portable" as DS was in the evenings b/c she wants to be sleeping. Which is fine because now we have to be back for DS's bedtime anyway.

[folkgirl]

Anneliese is 10 weeks and goes down for the last time between 10 and 12. That's when we go to bed, anyway. (Or later. I have been staying up and trying to get some things done.) She does sleep some in the evenings, sometimes when we are eating dinner (7-8, we're late eaters) so I guess you could call that "bedtime" if you want, but I don't see that really deep nighttime sleep until later. We let the baby make her own schedule, as it fits around ours at least. Occasionally I have to wake her to drop off or pick up my older daughter at school and other daily events, but when we're home she sleeps when she wants.

[NicoleS]

I agree that it is the amount of sleep that they get, not the hours, that is more important. So unless baby is becoming overtired, is not getting enough sleep, or the late bedtime doesn't work with your family life I wouldn't worry about it.

My older kids go to bed around 8-830. I usually try to get Caleb in bed after putting them down, and on a good night he'll go to bed around 9-930. He's still a bit difficult to get to sleep, but once he's down he sleeps 6+ hours. Last night I boobed him and tried to put him in bed and he started screaming, offered him the boob again and he wouldn't take it, so I just held him while we were watching TV - facing out, he didn't want to be facing me. Looked down 15 minutes later and he was asleep. Guess he just needed some extra cuddles. Slept from about 930 until 5 this morning, got up to eat, went back to sleep and slept until 8, ate again, was up, ate again, and we are attempting the morning nap now (1030) but it doesn't look like it's happening today.

[Ninetales]

We go down together between 9 and 10.

[Marylizah]

We joke that the baby turns into a pumpkin at 8pm. He just really wants to sleep by 8:30 at the latest and isn't shy about letting us know. So different from DS1 who was a night owl/sleep fighter.

[TSomm]

I had heard that a baby should be put to bed at the same time in the evening that they naturally wake. So for instance, if you baby wakes at 7am, put him to bed at 7pm.

This worked really well for us for the last month. She goes to bed between 7 and 8, nurses around 4:30, then wakes around 6-7.

[NicoleS]

Originally Posted by TSomm

I had heard that a baby should be put to bed at the same time in the evening that they naturally wake. So for instance, if you baby wakes at 7am, put him to bed at 7pm.

This worked really well for us for the last month. She goes to bed between 7 and 8, nurses around 4:30, then wakes around 6-7.

Interesting, I've never heard that one. But no way Caleb would go to bed at 7. If I try to put him to bed any earlier than 9 he screams bloody murder.

[aramat]

Definitely it's the # of hours that matters. Juju is really flexible; I just take her to bed when I'm ready, and she'll sleep or sleep-nurse until whenever I am ready to wake up in the morning. If I was working during the day, we'd have a schedule, but I'm not yet, so...

[punquin]

Jax gets sleepy and cranky around 7pm, so if we are home, that is when I'll head upstairs, do a bath if needed then nurse him to sleep. He's asleep by 8 or 9 and usually wakes to nurse every 4 hours (3 hour stretches of sleep) until 5 or 6 when he wants to come to bed with me to nurse and sleep off and on.

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

My DD has 'lights out' around 8pm, and Will goes to bed shortly after that. If DH is reading to DD, then I usually try to get Will down while he's reading to DD. Sometimes I get up again, and sometimes I crash too.

Most times he'll then sleep until I come to bed around 10. He may or may not wake up when I slide into the bed. If he does, he goes back to sleep easily enough. He nurses a few times in the night and we mostly wake up between 7 and 8.

I am soooo blessed.

[HappiLeigh]

Originally Posted by NicoleS

Last night I boobed him

[JustSimplicity]

Originally Posted by punquin

Jax gets sleepy and cranky around 7pm, so if we are home, that is when I'll head upstairs, do a bath if needed then nurse him to sleep. He's asleep by 8 or 9 and usually wakes to nurse every 4 hours (3 hour stretches of sleep) until 5 or 6 when he wants to come to bed with me to nurse and sleep off and on.

Do we have the same baby?

[Nicole730]

Originally Posted by TSomm

I had heard that a baby should be put to bed at the same time in the evening that they naturally wake. So for instance, if you baby wakes at 7am, put him to bed at 7pm.

This worked really well for us for the last month. She goes to bed between 7 and 8, nurses around 4:30, then wakes around 6-7.

Hmmm, that sounds interesting. We put DS to bed at 7 and he wakes up around 7. DD will fall asleep b/w 6 and 8, depending on the night and sleep until 7:30am or later.