Sleep - how much at night?

At least we know we can bath him early and he will still do the long sleep from 10-5. I'm worried that if we do it gradually that he will be waking much earlier in the night or decide to wake for the day at 5am. We're only 2 days in so we'll try a bit longer but we may have to do what you're doing.

My DD used to do the same thing, she would not go to sleep before 12-1am and was just wide awake...then when she was about 4-5 months old she gradually started getting tired earlier and earlier and going down about 9pm, I think because she was sleeping less and playing more during the day..then we started bathing her at 630 and she now sleeps from 7ish straight through until 6-7..so maybe her sleep pattern will settle with time too - I hope so!

Also there is a notorious growth spurt at 12 weeks, where they want to feed all the time and wake much more often at night!


Marion

SRV - I had the EXACT same patterm with my DS at around 6 weeks of age. He would be unsettled between 6-10pm, then go to bed quite well after this time. My suggestion is to continue to perservere with settleing him at 7ish, like you have tried, but stay in his room throughout the time that he usually needs resettling (so probably 20 mins for you) and quickly resettle as soon as he starts to grizzle without picking him up if you can, then stay in room for up to 10 mins more in case he needs resettling again (or wait just outside his room/close by). It takes forever to do it this way but I have found that over time it is really successful. It now takes me 15 mins in total to put DS to bed at 6.30pm and I don't hear from him again until I wake him for a rollover feed. Mind you, it has taken the last 6 weeks of doing this consistently every night for us to get to this satge. Oh, I also only settle DS in his bed awake (only picking him up briefly if he cries - I settle without picking up if he "whinges") - very hard work but so worth it as he now sleeps really well at night.

Can I just say re how to get babies to sleep through, I really do think its something they do on their own. Paris was 8 months Seth was 10 months. I have friends whose children still wake often, and I know myself I am a very light sleeper and take a long time to fall asleep. I can have 5 hours the night prior and still fall asleep between 11-1. I used to find it difficult as a child too, I can remember being put to bed between 7-7:30 and not sleeping till 9:30-10:30 at night. Try as hard as it is to accept your babies sleeping patterns for what they are. It will get easier and soon you will long for the time cuddling and rocking them. I'm actually pretty naughty. I always go in to Paris & Seth at night to fix blankets and give last kisses and cuddles and if either or should wake oh well that just means I get a chatter and cuddle with Paris or a special cuddle and rock in the chair with Seth. I miss my babies waking for cuddles and comfort.

You are all doing super jobs, and sometimes its just in their genes or its not. I swear our kids get their sleepy genes from Marc's side of the family as they were all easy sleepers, whereas I know my Mother was horrendous and like me she was a night owl.

*hugs*
Cailin

Quick question. For those of you who put your babies down to sleep around 6/7ish, what is your pattern for doing this with relation to feed time. ie If bubs is asleep do you wait till they wake up for a feed and then feed and do the bedtime routine. Do you wait till they wake and then do the routine ending with a feed or do you wake bubs a little earlier than you would expect them to wake for a feed, have a little play time and then start the bedtime routine? Do you incorporate playtime in your routine at all? Just curious.

well hollie has gone to bed at 8pm tonight, after having a feed at 6.30pm... she was so tired and there was nothing i could do to keep her up any longer would have just been madness... so i plan on going in at around 10pm and giving her a feed and then putting her straight back down again, hopefully she will be very dozy and just fall asleep. Not sure how this will affect what time she wakes up. Am going to keep the lights low and just pluck her from her cot and do a silent no frills feed then back to bed. fingers crossed.

a girl at my mothers group puts her baby down about 6 or 7, does sleepy feed at 10pm, then he sleeps til 6am, has another feed then back to bed til around 9am. Can u believe that!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would love it if Hollie did that, but it seems about 9 hours of sleep in a row is all she will tolerate. Still pretty good though!