Sleeping...

[Chezza]

Good Evening Ladies,

My LO has been sleeping through the night for about 5 weeks now - he goes down with any problems at 21.30 and wakes between 06.00 - 06.30am.

I get up every morning at 06.00am, regardless if he is up or not, as it gives me a chance to get showered / make bottles etc.

I would really like to put him down a little earlier in the evening, but I'm concerned that he would wake earlier as a consequence of this.

Stupid question coming up (sorry) - as I know all babies are different...but is there an age they reach where they typically start to sleep a little longer than 8 hours a night...?

Thanks so much in advance xxx

 

[Emamay]

Sleeping through at less than 3 months... Congrats

Took us double that to get Cay through.

He used to go to bed around 8pm, then wake at 6am.
Now, he goes to bed at 6pm, and wakes at 6am. He has a bottle and a chat at 6am, then naps again roughly 7-8-ish.

On my lie-in day, I hand him his bottle (he holds it himself now) and go back to sleep until breakfast at 9. He either lays chatting in his cot, or dozes off, I'm not sure which, but his cot is beside the bed (literally, the two mattresses are touching) and he doesn't wake me.

Try bringing bedtime forward 5 minutes a night, and see what happens. Xx

 

[Chezza]

He never really got on with his moses basket, so we moved him into his cot in his own room at 8 weeks. I spent a good few nights glued to the video monitor...but he slept so well in there almost instantly and we haven't looked back.

I will definitely try bringing bath / bottle / bed forward by 5 mins every night. Thank you! xx

 

[Les1504]

I found that the earlier I put Harry to bed, the longer he slept! At 2 months old I put him in his own room at 7pm and he would sleep until around 5am, which eventually became 7am ��I would give it a go Hun, if it backfires just go back to what you're already doing x

 

[Chezza]

Ha! Shouldn't have tempted fate...this is the first time I've seen 3am in AGES!!

 

[littlemonkey]

My LO has always been great through the night. He used to be the same, he'd go down about 9 and sleep until 5-6, have a feed, then go another hour or two after that. He's gradually gotten that he wants bed earlier of his own accord. Now he tends to go down about 7-8, depending when he woke up. He does tend to wake earlier now though, between 7 and 8 am.

How does your boy sleep during the day? I've found with my son since I sorted his naps out in the day, he's actually even better at night! It's also easier for me, cos if I need a rest etc, I know now he will do at least one long nap now!

I'd say give it a go moving bedtime forwards. If he wakes earlier, feed him and put him back to bed even if he's awake. If my son wakes up for the day before 7, I leave him in his cot with the curtains closed until 7. Should say unless he's crying of course! It seems to help teach him this is still night time, so he'll generally nod back off for a while, or chill in bed playing with his feet.

Speak of the devil! He's just woken up and is currently trying to eat his feet!

 

[newbie1984]

My LO naturally found his own bedtime
at 7pm. On a good night he can sleep 10 hours (though very rare!) I've tried everything to extend him to past 4-5am wake ups and I do just think they find their way on their own.

 

[Leah04x]

I'd definitely try making bedtime earlier gradually. Although with Ethan no matter what time he goes to bed, he always wakes up between 6 & 7am, so he tends to go to bed at 6:30pm now. I found once they have a routine during the day, it helps with night time too. Xx

 

[Kay Kay]

Hi chezza that is amazing your boy sleeps through the night. My lo is only 4 weeks and obviously we have no routine yet, just feeding on demand which is around every 2 hours at the moment. He will fall asleep on me or hubby but the minute we put him in his crib he cries so it takes a while to settle him to get him to sleep in his crib. What I wanted to ask you was your lo like this in the early days? We are exhausted and can't imagine a time when he will sleep longer than 2 hours during the night! Looking for some hope! Xx

 

[babyslog]

Im woth u on this kaykay! Noahs gone 4hrs the most before hes awake.. But hes not even quite 3weeks yet so i cant be to harsh in him lol xx

 

[diane]

My lo was always a great sleeper. I also found that putting her to bed earlier meant that she just naturally slept in later too. At 6 weeks she was sleeping 10-7, at 8 weeks she was going 8-7 and now she sleeps 6.30-8.30. I just "went for it" one night and put her down earlier, fully prepared for a night feed but she just slept!

My lo wakes up at about 7, but she's not hungry etc etc she just makes noises for a while so I left her and she just went back to sleep. She does this a lot now and I just leave her to have a little chat to herself and she goes back to sleep within 15mins. I only get her up if she's wide awake, rolling around etc. not sure if this helps x

 

[Chezza]

Thank you girls!

He doesn't really have a napping routine during the day - I did try to put him down at set times (following his lead when he seemed to usually fall asleep) - but no matter what I do, he will not sleep in his cot in the day time. He will fall asleep on me / in his chair / play gym...but if I try and move him, he cries...

Any tips for me at all...?

KayKay - JJ was a very sporadic sleeper in the early days. Up to the point he moved into his own cot/room (at 8 weeks), we fed on demand - and in hindsight, if I'd known what I know now, I would have tried to structure his feeds a little better, as I think (don't know for sure!) that may have helped him sleep better throughout the night a little earlier. Now he has 5 x bottles a day every 4 hours (give or take 15 mins).

Aside from last night, lol, his sleeping habits have been brilliant - I just hope this isn't the start of sleep regression for us...I'm dreading that potentially happening!

xxx

 

[Poppy1987]

Chezza what you have going on sounds great! What times do you do your feeds in the day to stop them happening at night?

 

[blondy13]

Hi Chezza!
Glad JJ is sleeping so well!
E is another baby that enjoys her sleep, from about 4 weeks we started a bedtime routine and she'd go down at 9, and we have slowly pushed it earlier and now she is grouchy if she's awake later than 7pm! She now sleeps through 6.30/7-6.30/7. We have found that getting her in bed earlier doesn't really affect the wake up time. I agree just slowly move bedtime earlier over a couple of weeks, and if you do get a 5am wake up call just feed him in the dark and re-settle back as much as you can!
Diane my lo is the same and often just chats to herself then nods back off. I only go into her if she starts crying etc.

 

[littlemonkey]

I had a right mission getting my son to sleep in his cot. He would sleep in his car seat/pram and in my arms fine, but god forbid I put him down! He would also only nap for 30 mins at a time.

What I found worked with my son was getting him into a naptime routine like bed. So now when he starts getting tired, I'll wind him down for a few minutes by talking softly or putting some chilled out music on for him. Then I take him upstairs, and close his bedroom curtains so it's all dark. I swaddle him and give him a dummy. Then I rock him and sing twinkle twinkle little star to him. I rock him until he's dozey although I am trying to get to the stage where I don't rock him and put him down to go to sleep on his own. But it's a work in progress. Then I put him in the cot and sneak off. I try to make sure he naps about 90 mins to 2hrs a time depending when he went down, so if he wakes before then it's a matter of popping the dummy back in, reswaddling (cos he's a wee escape artist!) and picking him up as necessary until nap time is done.

It took me about a week of doing this and I think it eventually clicked with him that when this happens it's sleep time cos he nods off quite quick once swaddled now. My LO is 20 weeks. He tends to be awake 90mins - 2hrs between naps. He gets to a stage where he gets a bit chatty and shouty if he's tired, so I try to get him up to sleep at that stage. I try to get him to have one long nap a day, which means staying at home in the morning or afternoon. He still only manages 30mins if we're out cos he's too nosey to sleep!

 

[littlemonkey]

Kay kay and babyslog, it will happen soon! My son started settling well at night around 6 weeks. He still woke up for feeds, but it was only ever two, and it was pretty much once he had what he wanted he would nod back off straight away, so I'd be up half an hour max with him. We saw a huge improvement when he went into his own room, he dropped a night feed and wouldn't wake looking for one until 4am at the earliest. I think with my son it's about making sleep time as free from distractions as physically possible. So his room is nice and dark, he doesn't leave his room for a feed or change, we only change him if he's pooped or nappy is really full and when feeding him I generally don't engage with him too much.

As others have said, I generally only go to my son if he's crying or looks like he won't settle. He has a mobile above his bed and I know if he starts looking up at it, he thinks it's play time, so I go in and re-settle him. This is where I think having him in his own room is a huge help, he's not disturbed or distracted by OH and I.

 

[russellmuscle]

Jackson does 9-9/10 but we will be gradually going earlier as he will be starting nursery soon.

J slept through from 8w but I've found altering his hours easy. He used to go down earlier and sleep till like 7am but OH and I felt we barely seen him so I don't mind keeping him awake till 8.30/9.

Just try each night. It might be hard at first but I'm sure ur lo will get used to it. If u find what puts ur baby to sleep it makes it easier. I just give J dinner a bit earlier, bring his bathtime and last bottle earlier and he's out like a light.

Such a brill sleeper xxxxx

 

[Chezza]

Chezza what you have going on sounds great! What times do you do your feeds in the day to stop them happening at night?

Hey Poppy!

JJ's feeds are approx:

06.00am
10.00am
14.00pm
17.30pm
20.45pm

They do vary by 15 mins either side - and he takes between 6 - 8 oz each time xxx

 

[Poppy1987]

Thanks hun, I'm going to try and follow a pattern for my lo

 

[russellmuscle]

This is where I think having him in his own room is a huge help, he's not disturbed or distracted by OH and I.

I agree with this! Jackson was easily distracted by OH & I. Would often wake when we were settling in and we were constantly tiptoe-ing about the room because he would wake easily.

Once J slept through to 8-5 from week 7 he went into his room 8 weeks and never heard a peep during the night since. I've forgotten what its like to have a sleepless night LOL!

xxxxx