My son is 15 months and does well with falling asleep on his own. My mom gifted us with a video baby monitor a month ago, so now we get to spy on him :) Recently bedtime has been 7:45-8:00 and he wakes between 6:00-6:45. Lately I've noticed that he really takes a while to fall asleep, usually a half hour. Most days he is tired and wanting his Nuk and blanket right at bedtime. Occasionally, he's wound up like a top but I still put him down by 8:15 to keep his body schedule similar. Sometimes it's taking him close to a half hour to fall asleep for a nap too. He's not complaining, so I wonder if I should even be concerned. He spends lots of time nestling into his blankets, lounging all over his crib, sometimes plays with the curtains, babbles a little bit. Maybe he just likes a little down-time to himself?? As a SAHM, of course I like his bedtime so I can have an hour to myself before I head to bed. Do you think I should try messing with his bed time since it's taking him so long to actually fall asleep??
I would let well enough alone too and you probably are lucky to have a child who is ok by himself for a bit. My youngest now will actually say she wants to be alone. She was like that too about falling asleep - it could take awhile but she was fine. My oldest is the opposite. That's not fun...
Doesn't it sometimes take you that long to fall asleep? I like to read in bed, and that helps me relax. But even after I put my book down and turn out the light it can still take me awhile to actually fall asleep. I don't find it strange at all that it takes him that long to fall asleep.
If it's not broke, don't fix it. He's not complaining so I'd leave it alone.
Isn't an answer to your question but: I have heard to be wary of video baby monitors that aren't on a 'closed circuit', hackers can reach their frequency and have a free portal into your comings and goings.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/baby-video-monitors-invi...
It's great that your son is happy being put to bed while he's still awake. I agree with everyone else-- that downtime can be a good thing. So, unless he's really starting to fuss and not sleep when he usually does, leave it alone.
Do not be concerned.
He is falling asleep after all.
Taking 1/2 hour to actually FALL asleep, is fine.
My kids did that too, as babies.
They were fine.
They didn't complain.
They would "wind down" and babble to themselves, and then fall asleep. It was fine. They were fine. It was their rhythm of falling asleep. I knew that.
I did NOT interrupt "their" going to sleep rhythm/process at all. Because, THAT is how my kids fell asleep, as babies. And it was fine.
Your baby is fine.
He is falling asleep.
So what if he takes 1/2 hour to do it?
He falls asleep, on his own.
Myself, I don't fall asleep as SOON as my head is on the pillow.
If I were you, I would not mess with his bedtime or routine. At all.
Let it be.
It works.
And your baby is fine.
There is no need, to go in there while he is in his rhythm of falling asleep. Just let him be.
That is not a problem, him falling asleep in 1/2 an hour.
And he wakes between 6:00-6:45. Well that is when my kids wake too, in the mornings. They have ALWAYS woken up at that time, in the morning.
I don't mess with it.
As I said: BOTH my kids were like that as babies, too... .taking 1/2 hour or so to actually fall asleep. I knew them and that is how they fell asleep. And they were FINE. IF you interrupt him in that process, you will keep him awake and mess it up.
I... did that a couple of times, per my son, when I didn't know better. And then it would actually WAKE him and then he would NOT fall asleep. So then, I just let him be. And he was happy, babbling and what not, playing with his crib toy, and he would fall asleep. Sure, it might have taken 1/2 hour, but so what. He would fall asleep, after that. That was HIS routine.
And he did it that way for naps too.
Sometimes, my son would actually just want to stay in his crib, and he was happy as a clam, even if/when he was awake and babbling to himself. I didn't interrupt him.
Our son (18 months) has the same bedtime range. He typically spends at least 30 minutes winding down which means he turns on his crib aquarium mobile and chatters away contentedly. I leave well enough alone. If it is not broken (he's not screaming uncontrollably/fighting bedtime), then don't fix it. Good luck.
I think your instinct is right on target--he may like having some time to hang out on his own, and he's happy with the situation. In any case, if he isn't crying or unhappy, there is no problem, so keep the bedtime as it is now. When it needs to change, you'll know it!
Throw away the video monitor. You will drive yourself nuts trying to figure out what your child is up to.
I put my kids to bed at 6pm at that age. (Yes, really.) That is almost a magic bedtime for toddlers - and no, they didn't wake up any earlier in the morning, and they actually fell asleep faster at night. Surprising but true.
No, do not mess with it.
But do make sure in the morning and afternoons or early evening, he is getting a lot of really active play. Running, climbing, swimming etc.
Children have a lot of energy. They do better when they can work it off each day.
I think you've answered your own question. And self-soothing/settling is a great skill for him to practice, so you are both doing things just right! If it becomes a struggle to get him to go to bed or he takes longer to fall asleep, maybe consider shortening his daytime nap or starting it earlier...
At our house 730 is in your room , lights out 830 , and my kids are 7 and 10.
Anyway, I think that if you make it later you might end up with an over tired baby and then he will take longer to get to sleep.
That burst of energy at the end of the night usually means they have passed that tired phase and are going into their second wind.
I'd either leave it or try to hit closer to the 745 time.
If it isn't broken, don't fix it!
