Putting baby down at a reasonable hour...

[anyalily]

We enjoy the family bed. My 4 mo DD used to be a night owl and we would just out her down when we were tired.

These days, when she starts getting sleepy at 6 or 7, I want to just put her down for the night so we can enjoy some grown-up time...

How do you all handle baby's earlier bedtime when you co-sleep? I have been nursing her and laying with her until she falls asleep and then sneaking out but she wakes up a few times before we come to bed around 10 to 11.

How do you all handle bedtime?

[lmj928]

Sorry, I don't have any help... I'm actually having the same problem. My 11 month old used to go to sleep between 8PM and 9:30PM but the last couple weeks, no matter how hard i try, i can't get him down before 10:30...sometimes he doesn't fall asleep until as late as 11:30!! DH and I used to enjoy an hour or two alone to have "adult time" - watch a tv show, work on the house, whatever...but now that is gone, and we're both going insane! We're more tired than DS by the time we get him to sleep. We've always coslept, and I nurse him to sleep. SOmetimes I sneak out and go online for a bit even though it is really late, just because I need some time to myself...in order to mentally function! But then I am so tired the next morning from the lack of sleep. I need some ideas on how to make him go to sleep earlier! Thanks!!

[D_McG]

Originally Posted by anyalily

I have been nursing her and laying with her until she falls asleep and then sneaking out but she wakes up a few times before we come to bed around 10 to 11.

I just nursed him back down as needed until I went to bed. It was a PITA but less so than having him up late every night!

[surfamy]

Hi Mama,

I have two daughters, ages 3 and 15 months. We cosleep with my little one and my 3 year old often comes in during the night.

For me, I put dd2 down in our bed when she is tired and I nurse her to sleep. If she wakes, I go in and nurse her back down. This can be a little busy during teething times or growth spurts, as it seems she wakes every 30 minutes, but it does ease up over time.

We have a large bed rail on her side and I put pillows on the other side and foot of the bed to make sure that she doesn't roll or crawl out when she wakes, although I can hear her immediately when she wakes.

FWIW, my 3 year old used to wake so many times a night I thought she'd never sleep through the night. It just took time and maturity and now she sleeps like a log from 7 pm to 7 am! They do sleep! (I always liked to hear stuff like this when my babes were small...helped me to see light at the end of my sleepy tunnel...)

Cheers,
Amy

[WilderKnits]

My girl goes to bed at 6:30 on the dot, the time change is rough cause she doesn't realize. Now we're struggeling with a 5:30 sleep time and a 6am wakeup! She wakes up once or twice (sometimes more) before I want to go to bed, and I just nurse her back down. I can hear her when she makes noise and I go in then. It's not really too much of a hassle. She just wants to know I'm there and falls asleep pretty quickly again. I feel happy to do it, letting her know she's safe. Soon we're going to get a guard rail so she can't fall off the bed. I'd recommend a baby monitor if you don't have one. Then you can be out of earshot and still quickly get to the baby if they wake.

[hipmummy]

Originally Posted by anyalily

We enjoy the family bed. My 4 mo DD used to be a night owl and we would just out her down when we were tired.

These days, when she starts getting sleepy at 6 or 7, I want to just put her down for the night so we can enjoy some grown-up time...

How do you all handle baby's earlier bedtime when you co-sleep? I have been nursing her and laying with her until she falls asleep and then sneaking out but she wakes up a few times before we come to bed around 10 to 11.

How do you all handle bedtime?

Ds is 25 months and we hav ethe same system. I think he has only slept 7-8 hours twice. Most nights I wake him whem i go in either from noise or on purpose. I can't fall asleep without nursing!

[DaytonsMom]

Originally Posted by hipmummy

I can't fall asleep without nursing!

LOL! This made me laugh cause i swear i'm the same way! I love to have my own space in bed, cause it so rarely happens, but then i just lay there and can't sleep! HOw aggravating is that! =)

to the OP, we also have the same porblem ds is 19 months old. but it's got a lot better lately. his getting older has done wonders! but he still wakes up quite a bit if i'm not it there, he wakes up if i'm in there too but that's less of a pain! =) we bought one of those big man recliners and i swear it was the best money i ever spent! if i nurse him down in the chair (it's also a rocker) then i just recline it and do this matrix type move to get out of the recliner without waking him up! and he sleeps a lot better in the chair. i think cause he hates waking up in the bedroom by himself in the dark! of course. if he wakes up in the chair i'm usually a couple feet away on the comp. he sleeps a lot better if i have a movie on for background noise. but i'm trying to break this habit before it gets out of control!