Am I crazy to try to make sleep schedual for 4 month old?

[pottergirl]

My little girl is 15 weeks and for a while there she was going to bed consistently between 7-8 o'clock. Now, she seems to be pushing that later, dragging the night time feeding out for two or more hours and not falling to sleep for good until 9 or 10. My husband is a farmer who gets up and leaves early so I would love to have a couple hours with him alone at night which is impossible with her current time table since he is in bed by 10. I am trying to take her up earlier, make the routine more steady, add a nightly bath but don't think it is catching on. Has anyone had any luck with a baby this young, or should I just be thankful that she sleeps good once she is asleep and wait till her natural timing gets earlier down the line? Really not complaining about her, she is doing great, just wondering if I can facilitate a regular bedtime yet.

[Bokonon]

Yes, it's crazy, LOL.

4 months is a notoriously bad time for sleep. Having a routine is great, but at that age the 2-3 hour bedtimes are not unusual. Things improve at around 5 months. And if her nighttime sleep is good, enjoy it while it lasts!

[Knitting Mama]

4 months is a very common age for sleep regressions. Just be thankful she sleeps well at all, and remember that this, too, shall pass.

[momtoS]

I say be thankful for a good sleeper.

My first dd was awful, she has sensory processing disorder and only slept 2-45 minutes at a time for a long time. At 2.5 years old she still woke up 8 times a night.

[Artichokie]

i would just be grateful that she sleeps and remind myself that this phase won't last forever. Is she waking any later? maybe you can have some very early morning time with dh and then take one nap later in the day with dd.

[ellairiesmom]

we are having a 4 mos regression of sorts here too. naps are short but frequent still, but our big issue is that she has gone from sleeping 6 hrs a pop (dd1 never did that for us!!!) to wanting to be latched on all night practically (which is what dd1 did).

my back is killing me from being stuck in the same position all night & i am just not getting any sleep.

i'm with ya mama

[LadyCatherine185]

yep, crazy. their sleep patterns change SO much in the first year, trying to change them is just going to result in a lot of heartache and trouble for both of you. go with the flow and be glad you are getting any sleep at all! we didn't get more than an hour at a time until DS was well over a year... He was always a horrible sleeper tho.

[blessedmama59]

I agree with all of the previous posts. Baby's sleep habits change frequently throughout the first year or so. My daughter slept 7-8hrs straight at only a month old, then at 4mths it was like she was a completely diff baby! She woke several times a night to nurse and still does to this day (she's 13mths). Just be thankful she does sleep well, and it will get better. It's hard when you can't have much intimate time together and not be in parent mode. Good luck!

[cristeen]

You can try putting her down earlier, but be prepared for her to fight you. You're in the 4 mo sleep regression, and I know some babes don't grow out of that until around a year. But in the grand scheme of things, it's relatively minor, since she does in fact sleep.

[karika]

I agree it is not a good idea to try to schedule anything related to a baby or child. I am wondering about one thing in your post though, you said she goes down for good, wondering what you mean? She sleeps for many hours? I agree that is unique in a baby that age. dd1 did not. dd2 slept for a long period when she was a newborn, like 12 hours, but she was waking to nurse every 3 hrs or so, staying asleep (we cosleep) but her patterns have changed a few times that's for sure. Sometime around 3 or 4 mo she started sleeping in 4 hour stretches, then being awake for 2-4 hours, which is how most babies and dd1 are from the beginning...

[BetsyS]

I'll be the opposite. With both my babies, by around 3-4 months, I was able to put them down at 6:30 or 7:00, and that was "it" for the night. I say that was the "end" for the night,but they still woke up multiple times in the night, probably starting (especially baby #1) around 8pm.

I remember that he'd sleep 7-8, then a longer stretch from, say, 8-12, then up every 2 hours until dawn.

BUT...all feedings after 7pm are down to business, just nurse, and right back to sleep (which my babies seem fine with).

We are an early house, and they haven't been able to sleep through Daddy waking in the AM, so they would get up for the day around 5 or 5:30, which makes a big difference as well (then be ready for a nap at 7am! LOL). If they slept until 9 or 10 am, they wouldn't have gone to bed at 7pm, you know?

[LadyCatherine185]

Originally Posted by BetsyS

I'll be the opposite. With both my babies, by around 3-4 months, I was able to put them down at 6:30 or 7:00, and that was "it" for the night. I say that was the "end" for the night,but they still woke up multiple times in the night, probably starting (especially baby #1) around 8pm.

I remember that he'd sleep 7-8, then a longer stretch from, say, 8-12, then up every 2 hours until dawn.

BUT...all feedings after 7pm are down to business, just nurse, and right back to sleep (which my babies seem fine with).

We are an early house, and they haven't been able to sleep through Daddy waking in the AM, so they would get up for the day around 5 or 5:30, which makes a big difference as well (then be ready for a nap at 7am! LOL). If they slept until 9 or 10 am, they wouldn't have gone to bed at 7pm, you know?

my DS was always an early go-to-sleeper and early riser as well, but it was definitely nothing I did to encourage that. And keeping him up later does NOT make him sleep in later. I think some babies fall into this pattern, whereas others do the opposite. If the OP is willing to wake the babe earlier in the morning, she may be able to get her to go to bed earlier in the evening, but it may just completely throw off baby's rhythm and she may end up with a very grumpy baby.