Hi Ladies!
So I have a question about sleep. My DD is 6 months old, she's always been a pretty good night sleeper. Since she was like 4 months she would sleep from about 730pm to 6am/630am. Anyway, lately she gets really hyper around 7pmish and won't fall asleep till 8pm or 830pm but what has happened is that the next morning she'll be up at 5am! I would figure she would sleep longer if she's up later ? Well I'm just wondering if its normal and how can I get her to go to bed again by 730pm?? TIA!
Another quick question, sometimes my DD will sleep past her wake up time during naps, should I just let her sleep till she wakes up or wake her at her usual wake up time? (Example: she usually sleeps from 830am-1030am but there are days she'll sleep till 11ish, and messes up her next nap) TIA!
Put her to bed earlier, My son goes down at 7 and sleeps until 6:30, if he goes down later he is up earlier.
Your baby can be over tired at night and getting a second wind. I would say to try and let her sleep longer during the day and see if that helps. Their nap schedules will change periodically and maybe now is the time when her schedules are changing. She is still pretty young where she needs lots of sleep so let her sleep when she wants to during the day and she will probably still sleep well at night. :0)
Hi Y.... I know it's crazy, but being hyper is usually a sign that they are TIRED. And, sleep begets sleep. Lots of people have tried the old "put them to bed later" with the same results you're getting. Try moving her bedtime EARLIER, and add in a bath and massage before hand if you don't already do that (7pm is a pretty common bedtime but at that age lots of kids are down by 6:30) so she's in bed before she's hyper and see how that goes.
Hope this helps.
T.
Yes making them stay up longer actually over stimulates them and causes them to bounce off the walls. All 5 of my children are this way so its not just an age thing. Heck even I get that way too! Ever notice how when you are dead dog tired how you get slap happy and goofy and have this burst of energy? Then whe you try to go to sleep cause you know you are exhausted you lay there tossing and turning! UGH not fun! I agree with the baths and massage too! Good luck and hope you get good results fast!
She's not up at 5am, she may be awake at 5am it's up to you if you let her up or not. you ask how can you get her to go to bed by 7:30 sweetie you are the parent not her, if you really want her in bed by 7:30, then put her to bed at 7:30.
I always rocked my baby's to sleep for naps and bed time, and they slept through the night from 6 weeks on. Also I never woke my baby's while they were sleeping, no matter how late or how long they napped, i still took them in and rocked them to sleep at the same time. Baby's go through different sleep patterns, but as the parent you have to decide the times for naps and bed. J.
Never wake a sleeping baby! Honestly, the better rested she is the better she will sleep at night. I would put her to bed earlier, and I bet she'll sleep later. As soon as she's showing signs of being tired I would get her into bed ASAP. Also, she should be taking 2 or 3 naps everyday. The first nap should be within one or two hours of waking in the morning, and the second should start around 12-1 or so. The third nap is optional depending on the child. If I tried to keep my son up later, he ALWAYS woke earlier the next morning and then had a hard time napping all day = crabby baby! As soon as I tried putting him to sleep earlier he slept longer, took better naps and was a lot happier! Buy a copy of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth, it's a fabulous book that has made my life a lot easier, and my children happier! Good luck :)
No, you let your baby sleep. Do not wake her up just because the clock says so. Let her nap. Everyday is different... they are changing and developing so quickly... its NORMAL.
Next, she is just going through a developmental change... she is 6 months old... this is a typical growth-spurt time and time of hitting many milestones. So it does temporarily tweak them/their sleep. And their intake needs increases too. So feed on-demand still 24/7.
As Julie L. said... if she wakes at 5am... then you can just let her be in the crib. Not have to get her up. Just let her hang out. Unless she is crying /screaming for you or hungry and needing feeding. My son was like that. He would sleep and wake, but even if he waked, he did not just cry/scream right away... he'd actually just hang out in his crib... and was fine. Then, once he did cry... then that is when I went to get him.
-- the thing is... just because a baby wakes, it does not mean you have to go and pick-them-up right away... just because their eyes are open. (unless they are crying/screaming of course). If you just observe the baby... she might very well fall back asleep. It is common for babies to have intermittent "wakings" but they are not wide-awake-boingo-up-and at em' kind of awake... they often, if not bothered or woken up (by the parent) will go back to sleep. So observe your baby... and go by her cues.
Next, you decide what time to put her to bed. As I mentioned, this is growing pains... the baby is changing. She is now 6 months old. This happens. You need to have a routine of naps/sleep every night. The SAME routine every day and night for sleep. It is a process, not them falling asleep the second their head hits the pillow... my son for example, would sort of lull himself to sleep after I put him in the crib... after our routine. He would babble and sort of make noises to himself... then, fall asleep, on his own. I did NOT interrupt this process of his. Nor did I keep shushing him or telling him "go to bed sweetie"... but rather, after I put him in his crib, I left the room, and that's it. Sure i heard him in there making noise to himself, but it was not crying, and it was fine. But it was HIS process of winding-himself down and self-soothing. THEN, he'd fall asleep on his own.
Yes, your baby is NORMAL. Yes this happens. But you keep to a routine... and know your baby's cues... and then it will fall into place.
And yes, sometimes they just wake up early. So do adults. No biggie. Sleep changes all the time. It is not finite.
its just a phase.
All the best,
Susan
Hello Tia!
I don't know how many naps your daughter is taking, but if she's taking three she may need to cut out a nap. You'll have to kind of follow your babies signs. I just pushed my daughters first nap out by 15 min. every couple days there wasn't such a gap between the first and second, squeezing out the middle, if that makes sense. Then also, put her down early at night.
Good luck,
SG
I agree with the putting to bed a little earlier- just before he hyper time. It has worked with all three of mine. There is actually science behind it, some chemical is released to keep them awake then they don't sleep as well- bla, bla... whatever- I don't really care why, just that they do go to sleep better and stay asleep better when they aren't overtired. And on the same note- don't wake them up :) Every once in a while when my three year old has been really busy for a few days in a row (she rarely naps anymore) and she'll fall asleep for a late nap around 3 and not wake up until the next morning. That used to happen with my older one too- we'd try to wake her up to eat and she'd just be grumpy and not hungry anyway. So now I never wake them unless absolutely necessary. Just watch for her signals with naps and bedtime and try not to wait until she is overtired. Her naps will change as she grows so try not to watch the clock too much. You may find when she sleeps longer it doesn't really mess up the next nap unless you expect it too! I know it's hard when they get off their schedule, but it happens and you'll find it again- it's just part of the process and it's common every time they reach a new stage. Good luck!
