I have a seven month old and no matter how hard I try to get him on a schedule he just won't. For example last night he didn't fall asleep at all. At six this morning he finally fell asleep for a few hours. I would like him to be in bed by 9 at the latest. I seriously did everything possible I came up with a night time schedule and i follow it religiously but nothing works. Please help?!
Thank you everyone so much. I took all the suggestions into consideration. I decided to a combo of all of them. I've been feeding Nicculo every 3 hours which is working really well to keep him full. I had him taking a nap for 90 minutes at about one but he was way too tired before bedtime so I extended it. He sleeps about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Now he is ready for his bath and bed by 8:45 pm instead of 6 am--->she says with a wink. He still cries for a little while but everyday I notice the crying being calmer and for shorter time periods. I think after just a little more time he'll have it down. So once again thanks to everyone.
There is a book called 'The Sleep Easy Solution'. I have never used it myself. But I have several friends that have used it recently and swear by it. All of their kids are now on sleep schedules and sleep through the night!!
The thing that worked the best for us was to get my baby on a routine feeding schedule during the day. We fed her every three hours no matter what and then by nighttime she was ready for bed. At 7 months his eating habits and schedule are probably changing a bit, but if you haven't tried that, that's what I would suggest. Even if she was sleeping we would wake her up, which sounds crazy to some, but she would sleep all night, starting at 3 months, so I'm a big believer in it!
For us, 9pm was a bit early for a baby that young, ours took long naps and stayed up till 10 or 11. You may have to look at nap and wake time. But, what I was really going to say was the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley was great for us. We don't do cry it out, and this, though not a miracle (and what book is?) helps with lots of little ideas so you can use what works for your family and leave the rest.
It does get better.
K.
Good Morning R., WOW what a long night you had!! Does your little guy have his days and nights messed up? Does he take long naps in the day time?, sleeping like 4-5 hours at a time? If so you have to start there and get then in line.
A Nap in the morning of an hour would be good, then in the afternoon 1-3 hrs .. Start your bedtime routine at 6, feeding, bath time books or story time, bed & prayers by 7 -7:30.
Will take a bit to get it going, but if he is awake all night, you will be exhausted more and more.
Hopefully you can get him turned around soon.
God Bless you and yours
K. Nana of 5
When my son was a baby, he wouldn't sleep when he had an ear infection. We had no idea that he was sick! He would act perfectly fine until we would put him down to sleep. Good luck!
You need to google 'sleep regressions.' It won't help you solve your problem, but it will help you understand that this is just a phase and life will get back to normal soon.
I had this issue with my little one in the beginning. Flipping their schedule is tough, but do-able. I bathed my little one (she wakes up during baths, rather than gets sleepy), changed her clothing several times, took her outside...and was very active during the day (to avoid sleeping). I never let her sleep more than 45 minute naps. Finally, after a week--she was on a 10-10 schedule. It's like clockwork now...but it takes time. Flipping them is tough--but, it's SO worth it!
R., How long do you let him cry? Some kiddos are VERY stubborn and will cry for hours if they know in the end they'll get what they want. Do your night time routine, put him in bed safe and dry and leave him there. Let him cry it out. I know it seems mean, and it's hard to listen to your little one cry, but it is for the best for both of you. (You might think at 7 months that he's not able to try to manipulate you with crying, think again, babies are BRILLIANT!!)
Good Luck, M.
Every baby is different. My son didn't stick to any kind of schedule until he was almost 1. Now we have a great routine and he goes to nap and bed without any problems 95 % of the time. At 7 months not every baby has developed enough to have a good sleep rhythm. Keep up your ritual, but get used to the idea that a good full nights sleep may not happen for another 6 months.
(Oh and by the way, it took a week of letting him cry for a while before he got used to the idea that he was safe and I would be there when he woke up.... Now people always compliment me on what a good little boy I have, and he's a very happy and healthy little guy who loves life and me... don't worry about being firm but loving.)
