My son seems to have finally gotten on a sort of sleep schedule. He naps on and off through the day and takes one long nap anytime between 1pm and 3pm. The only problem is he has been falling asleep at 7pm every night and waking around 4am thinking it's time to get up. Does anyone have any suggestions as to remedy this horrible pattern. I've tried to keep him awake later in the evening but it hasn't been working. I need help with this one...I need those extra four hours before I have to wake for work.
Hi A.. At about that age, my daughter would take a cat nap at 7 and then go to bed at 10. Which was great for me in the mornings, but I never got to spend time with my hubby. So, when I wanted her to skip that last nap, I started giving her baths about that time. She wasn't always thrilled, but bathtime is both fun and relaxing... what a useful tool! It helped to train her to the new sleep schedule. Good luck.
He is waking out of habit. Let him cry. He'll go back to sleep.
I have a similar problem with my 11 month old twin boys and I'm actually going to go out and buy black-out curtains today. The only thing I can think of is the small amount of change in light is waking them. I've also heard of people putting their baby to bed later continually for a few weeks and then they finally start sleeping in later. I don't know, though. Good luck!
Get blackout shades for his room, and, when he wakes up at 4, feed him in the quiet, dark room, and put him back down to sleep. Hopefully he will give you a few more hours. By the way, a 7-4 stretch at 5 months is great!
My son did this, he eventually grew out of it. Sorry I have no advice, though. We ignored him as much as possible when he got up at awful hours, but that didn't seem to have much effect. He is probably old enough to CIO, if you're ok with that (and he cries; my son didn't, so we just had to wait him out).
Hi A.. We had sleep issues with our 4 month old daughter and a friend lent me The Sleepeasy Solution by Jennifer Waldburger. I can't say enough about this book- it is so easy to read and really deals with every conceivable issue you may encounter. I thought my daughter was getting enough sleep until I read how much sleep she was supposed to be getting and realized we were WAY off! Now she sleeps 12 hrs a night (6:30 to 6:30) and about 4 hrs a day in naps. It is amazing how much happier she is. I highly recommend getting this book as it really works (as long as you're committed to being consistent) and it was very easy to follow. I hope this helps- best of luck!!
R.
I second Julie, Tara & Leah. It's sounds funny, but later to bed will not fix the problem, and neither will skipping naps during the day. Your son just needs to learn that 4am is not the time to wake up and he needs to go back to his crib and back to sleep. Of course, it's much easier said than done!
Hi A.,
That is a pretty typical sleep schedule for a child your son's age. You are lucky to get such a long stretch (7 PM to 4 AM) out of him! Most moms don't get that until their babies are much older. Eventually he will learn to sleep longer. There are theories that you can gradually adjust your child's sleep pattern. They say to put him down later in 15 minute increments. So one night, put him down at 7:15 instead of 7. And do this for about a week - until he gets used to it and starts sleeping till 4:15. Then try increasing the incremement by 15 minutes. It will probably take a week in between each cycle - so it will take quite a long time to adjust his sleep patterns.
Good luck!
J.
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I know it sounds crazy, but you may need to put him to bed earlier...like 6:30. The earlier I put my daughter to sleep at night, the longer she sleeps in the morning. She is 5 months old also, and usually goes to sleep at 6:30. If she wakes anytime before 6 am, I go in, change her diaper, feed her and put her back to bed...all without turning the lights on or talking to her...she usually sleeps until 8 when I do this. Also, the better she sleeps during the day (ie. two 2 hr. naps), the longer she sleeps at night. Good luck.
My twins fall asleep right around 7pm-8pm also. They usually wake up at 1-2am then I stuff them with as much cereal (+ fruit or veggie added to the cereal) and one bottle of milk. If they want more I definitely let them have it. They then sleep at least until 7am. Sometimes they go longer. I would suggest waking your baby up at around no later than 2am. Then feed them. There is a better chance they will stay asleep after that. Many times my boys wake up only out of hunger...so it they aren't hungry they will stay asleep. We started them on a schedule from the very beginning. At first every 3 hours then stretched it to 4 and on and on. Now they sleep on average two 6 hour sessions. They then sometimes nap for 2-3 hours around 12pm. We used to be really strict with their schedule before they got to be around 4 1/2 months old. We would almost never let them snack. The 'Baby Wise' book is really helpful. Don't be afraid to wake them up. It seems scary at first to do that but if you force your baby into a different routine they will adjust. It's more of a parental led/clock led feeding system rather than child led feeding. You may not be able to wake them up at 7pm but I bet you will have no trouble around 1-2am. Make them eat until their eyes can't stay open anymore.
Hello
I would not let him take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, or I would eliminate his little naps during the day. I also fed my children a little cereal every night before bedtime so they would sleep longer. If you play with him when he looks sleepy that might help him cut down on his naps. For that 2 hour nap he takes in the afternoon, I would wake him after 1 hour. My children slept through the night when I fed them cereal before there night bottle. It worked for my children and my grandchildren. Good Luck!
Hi A.! To reiterate what several people have said- going to bed earlier should help, believe it or not. And consistent naps actually help as well. Your goal should be two long naps and one catnap late afternoon. We used the 3-Day Sleep Solution and it was fantastic! We were having major sleep issues, though. Our 5-month old daughter also now gets up around 4 a.m.... I will feed her, change her, and put her back to sleep (though this particular sleep system suggests not doing these things until 6). No lights come on nor do I interact with her really until she wakes up after 6 a.m.
