Sleeping Issue - Winter Haven,FL

Try not letting him nap after 5pm. Keep him up, engaged, busy, even if he is cranky. Or let him sleep 10 mins then wake him up. He should be ready for bed then by 9-10 or so. Good luck!

i agree with Kate. The best way to get him on a good schedule is to first start waking him up early in the morning. It will be hard at first because you will both be so tired but after a few days he will get into this new routine. Then he will got down around 7:30 or 8:00 no problem.

's the perfect age to start sleep training and sounds like you really need it! Please read this article I wrote about the best sleep help I found when my kids were babies that changed my life. My kids are the best sleepers and have been since they were babies. Here's the article: http://hubpages.com/hub/sleep-training-good-night-sleep-t...

Hope this helps - best wishes!

I would have him in his crib/bed at the time you want him to go down even if he does not want to go to bed. Let him lay there until 3 in the morning if he wants to. But in the morning when you want him up, get him up and make him stay awake until nap time. It may take a few nights, but he will soon learn the new schedule.

hi~
here is some great general info on infant sleep hanbits ... http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070200.asp

Here are a couple of additional tips from http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070300.asp
1. Set predictable and consistent nap routines. Pick out the times of the day that you are most tired, for example 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Lie down with your baby at these times every day for about a week to get your baby used to a daytime nap routine. This also sets you up to get some much-needed daytime rest rather than be tempted to "finally get something done" while baby is napping. Babies who have consistent nap routines during the day are more likely to sleep longer stretches at night.
2. Consistent bedtimes and rituals. Babies who enjoy consistent bedtimes and familiar going-to-sleep rituals usually go to sleep easier and stay asleep longer. Yet, because of modern lifestyles, consistent and early bedtimes are not as common, or realistic, as they used to be. Busy two- income parents often don't get home until six or seven o'clock in the evening, so it's common for older babies and toddlers to procrastinate the bedtime ritual. This is prime time with their parents and they are going to milk it for all they can get. In some families, a later afternoon nap and a later bedtime is more practical. Familiar bedtime rituals set the baby up for sleep. The sequence of a warm bath, rocking, nursing, lullabies, etc. set the baby up to feel that sleep is expected to follow. Capitalize on a principle of early infant development: patterns of association. Baby's developing brain is like a computer, storing thousands of sequences that become patterns. When baby clicks into the early part of the bedtime ritual, he is programmed for the whole pattern that results in drifting off to sleep.
This site has numerous (29 other) tips to assist with sleep

If he has a hard time getting to sleep or wakes up often from Dr Karps 5 s’s…
• Swaddling - Tight swaddling provides the continuous touching and support the fetus experienced while still in Mom's womb.
• Side/stomach position - You place your baby, while holding her, either on her left side to assist in digestion, or on her stomach to provide reassuring support. Once your baby is happily asleep, you can safely put her in her crib, on her back.
• Shushing Sounds - These sounds imitate the continual whooshing sound made by the blood flowing through arteries near the womb. This white noise can be in the form of a vacuum cleaner, a hair dryer, a fan and so on. The good news is that you can easily save the motors on your household appliances and get a white noise CD which can be played over and over again with no worries.
• Swinging - Newborns are used to the swinging motions that were present when they were still in Mom's womb. Every step mom took, every movement caused a swinging motion for your baby. After your baby is born, this calming motion, which was so comforting and familiar, is abruptly taken away. Your baby misses the motion and has a difficult time getting used to it not being there. "It's disorienting and unnatural," says Karp. Rocking, car rides, and other swinging movements all can help.
Sucking - "Sucking has its effects deep within the nervous system," notes Karp, "and triggers the calming reflex and releases natural chemicals within the brain." This "S" can be accomplished with breast, bottle, pacifier or even a finger.

Here is a GREAT video that shows how to swaddle (by Dr Karp) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6KnVPUdEgQ

Good luck!

We have the same sleep issues w/our 1year old son, just different time frames. He's been this way since he was an infant. We've tried many different and various methods of sleep training. NOTHING WORKS! We do our best and I know you are doing you best as well. I just wanted to let you know YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Sleepless in NPB;)

So do you stay up with him until that time?? To try and turn it around you will have to try and limit sleeping during the day so that he is tired around 7/7.30pm , get into a routine of bath and then bed, bathing helps relax them , give him his milk and then put him to bed. It may take a few days for him to get used to but if you do the same thing night after night he will soon adjust.

An example of a schedule:

6.30/7 wake up and bottle (if solids have begun some rice cereal around 8)

Some wake time and then nap around 9/9.30 for an hour or so

Lunch time bottle/baby puree if any yet and then some wake/play time and nap again around 1/2pm for a couple of hours.

Wake up around 3 , bottle and play time , baby food/puree around 4/4.30 , a little awake time and then depending on what time you want him to go to bed possibly another short nap. 6pm bath/bedtime routine starts and then to be by 7/7.30 at the lastest.

Hope this helps a little , it's been a while since I had a 6 month old and my memory is a little hazy!!

This may seem like a complicated problem, but every mother has been there at one point in time. Simply change his schedule by not letting him sleep when he wants too.
Do it gradually. The first few days wake him up to have his bottle a few hours earlier like 7am. then don't let him go back to sleep (whatever it takes- cold washcloth etc..) until around 12pm. let him sleep 3 hours and wake him up then keep him up until 7-8pm. Keep working on forcing a schedule change.
It will work. :)

Be in charge. Who is raising whom? For one thing, don't fret, every new mom faces these struggles. Your baby will seem so fragile and defenseless but right now he is robbing your life. Babies and children will do this if you let them. They do need to know that there is someone in control, It will be difficult, but he and you and your husband will all be happier for the following.

At four in the afternoon, put him down for a half hour nap. Even if he cries, check dipper and burp him and if he is okay, leave the room. After a half hour, whether he has slept or not, get him up. I know this is very hard. Feed/nurse him at around 7ish and put him to bed.

The first night or two he may scream and yell. He'll communicate to you that his leg has fallen off. But you go in and check and it is there. He will quiet down because he is thrilled to see you. But press on and put him back down. Have your husband or a friend stay with you so you don't give in. Again, make sure he has a dry diaper, full from his feeding after you nurse and make sure he is burped. This will be a more difficult time for you than for him, even though his tears will try to convince you differently.

Do get him up for his 10/11 o'clock feeidng and put him back down. He will be so cute and sweet, until you walk out of the room.

If you proceed this way, you could get his scedule under control. You will find this is a constant controversy, out there : to schedule or not to schedule.

As you, I did what my child wanted and she ended up crying every minute she wasn't held. I was ready to put her on the porch!! That is when I came across a litte book entitled, "My First 300 Babies". This book is by a nurse midwife and I believe is still available. It goes through the whole day. DON"T use it rigidly. If you have questions, talk to another mom who is scheduling or email me. I'd like to know how things work out.
C. flowers Ritchie. ____@____.com might enjoy my blog. My four children are adults now but I have walked along side many young moms. www.catflowersr.blogspot.com.

I recommend the book Baby Wise. It is about establishing good sleeping and eating habits. It worked great for our twins and they are still great sleepers at 6.5 years.