Need advice on how to change sleep times.

[Monkey]

As the title says, I really need some advice on how to change Erica's sleep times. Ever since her growth spurt, she has started sleeping from round 1pm till about 3am with only small periods of being awake in between.

I have tried to distract her when it gets close to 1pm to see if I can keep her awake for longer but she just gets really grumpy and cries till I put her down for a "nap". I have also tried waking her after her "nap" but it's like waking a rock and she goes straight back to sleep.

I feel like I'm failing to do right by her as I am too scared to leave her sleep in a different room so she sleeps in the lounge room in her rocker. Because she is a very noisy sleeper and I am awake from 3am every morning, I go to bed at 9pm and leave her downstairs with the hubby. That way I can get some sleep and won't be too tired to look after her.

Sorry for the novel, just wanted to give all the info I could as I really want to do right by her and be a good mum. Any advice would help.

 

[Constantstar]

We had problems with owen, his bedtime was 10pm!! moved his sleep time earlier by giving bottles earlier etc and changing bath time and we are now at 6pm! Maybe you could do it gradually like we did so instead of bub going to sleep when she does keep her awake for 15 more minutes , then two days later 15 more and keep going until she gets to the right time?x

 

[Monkey]

I can only give it a go. Thanks for the tip .

Think it's going to be a challenge today as she has decided she wanted her nap now and wouldn't stop screaming till I put her down to sleep (which happens to be on my chest right now).

 

[Amy_J]

Im not sure what to suggest as my lo found his own routine in the day. Where does she nap? I made sure in the day there was lots of noise and light, i could even hoover when he was asleep, have the tv on etc. i deffo think a good bedtime routine is key, my lo used to go to bed at 9pm, we we gradually brought it forward half an hour every night, and now he is in bed and asleeo by 7pm at the latest. Same think every night, bath, dark bedroom dummy, bottle, and light show, and i leave him to fall asleep by himself. I think this same routine every night helped him settle into a good day time routine iykwim, now he naps for an hour in the morning and is awake till bedtime?

Ive just seen from your ticker that she is really young! At that age my lo was asleeo more than he was awake in the day! I say if she needs to nap in the day let her nap, maybe you could get some rest too while she sleep?!Just stick with a good night routine and eventually she will set herself her own routine im sure. Good luck xxx

 

[Sarah13]

Kynon is hit and miss with when he sleeps too but I think they are still very tiny. Just keep persevering with the same evening routines they will eventually get it. I've changed Kynons bed time to 10pm as he was just too awake before from all his daytime naps. When he's wide awake at 3am I don't engage with him, very herd when he's smiling away and babbling to me! I put him back in the crib and try not keep picking him up, just to wind him then back down. Means I'm maybe awake for 2 hours until his next feed when he normally goes off again but he's starting to understand and falling back to sleep some nights!

 

[Monkey]

She naps in the loungeroom with us. I am too scared to leave her alone. She used to sleep in her carry cot during the day but she soon objected and wouldn't sleep while in it. She now sleeps in her rocker.

I tried to stick to a routine of bathing, BFing and putting her in carry cot (round 9pm) with us with light off and tv down low till she woke for a feed at round 2am then would take her to bed with me and she use to sleep till bout 5am. Since her growth spurt it's all gone out the window. That's the routine I would love to get back to until she is a little older and sleeping in her own room , then will move it forward to around 7pm.

 

[Monkey]

I know what you mean about it being hard not to engage them. I have to not look at her when feeding her as even that gets her all excited and wanting to play.

 

[Sarah13]

Last night Kynon woke at 5am really smiley and happy, was so cute I couldn't resist! I did put him back though and he babbled away to himself! I'm sure she will settle into a pattern again soon, I think breastfed babies do need feeding a lot, we're still mostly feeding every 2-3 hours day and night. I sometimes pre-empt a feed at night and put him on asleep around 11ish when I go to bed and he stays asleep then wakes about 3 hours later, think it's called dream feeding.