Trying to Get 1 Year Old to Sleep a Little Later.

This just seems to be her schgedule and unfortunately we are at their beck and call and on their schedule. You could give her a teaspoon of cereal when she wakes in the night to maybe satisfy her longer.

I was having the same problem for a while with my daughter who is now 15 months. I realized she was waking up because she was hungry. I started a nightly routine of feeding her a good heavy hot cereal. She loves it and it helps to keep her satisfied longer through the night. Also she is at the point where she is interested in using a spoon, so it is fun for her as well. This has made a huge difference for my daughter, and I hope it helps you. Good luck.

At 1 there is no longer any need for a night feeding. You need to stop the night feeding, no matter what time she wakes up. She will be upset and cry for a few days, but will then transition. Once this is established she should fall into a regular wake up time. However, some kids are just early risers. My kids who are almost 4 and 1, both go to bed at about 7:30. But my son has always been an early riser (6:00/6:30) and my daughter gets up between 8:00 and 8:30. I have learned with my son that there is not much you can do if they are an early bird. Now that he is older he has to play quietly in his room until 7:00, but that is the best I can hope for!

Also, I would STRONGLY advise against a later bedtime. Almost all sleep experts will tell you that an early bedtime leads to far better sleep habits. A 7:00 or 7:30 bedtime, which you have, is best for young children. Anything later than that can make them overtired, therefore not wanting to go to sleep and not sleeping well. Often times an earlier bedtime can actually lead to sleeping later, strange as that may seem. It is not until children are school age that there bodies can adjust to going to bed later and sleeping in later.

Good luck. You may have a few tough nights, but in the end it will be worth it.

-A.

i know it is hard on us but try keeping her up a little later say 830 that is what time i put my son down and he wakes in the morning around 7 or 8 with only 1 waking in the night

This is part of the world of children. I was definately a late sleeper too (10am worked for me) ;) until I had my girls. I'm still not the earliest riser, but I've definately adjusted.

Your daughter should not be eating in the middle of the night. She should have stopped doing that 6 months ago minimum. If you want a good sleeping baby you need to teach her to be a good sleeper and soothe herself. If you always go in and soothe her then she will not learn. You said you don't believe in CIO method or self weaning, but everyone I know that has those same beliefs has babies that don't sleep well. So you just have to make a decision on what you want.

Sounds like your kid is overall sleeping pretty well! My advice is to get yourself to bed early enough that if your daughter does get up a little early, you can accept it and not be too cranky and tired yourself. But if you haven't tried 'playing possum', you might give that a try--often that works with my kid, even though I might have to stick my fingers in my ears while he cries for a bit next to me, and sometimes he even kicks, but often he will settle back to sleep for another hour or so. I also try to stick to the regular nap times on days when he gets up early, even though he might get cranky--it seems to help overall. Good luck!

I would stop the night feeding, at 1 years old, there is no need for her to eat. The night habit of the night feeding is probably triggering her to wake up out of habit. At 4-6 months of age babies do not need to eat in the middle of the night because their nutrition and food amount is more than enough to sustain them through the night. I would also put her to bed later and cut her down to 1 nap, probably around 12 or 1 pm. If your biggest concern is the sleep at night wean her off the night feedings. There is some great info. out there on the best way. Your life will be so much better and both of you will be well rested.

I'm not sure if you've heard about a product called MonaVie. It is fantastic for sleeping, it's an all natural juice and safe for kids. Taken just before bedtime, she's sure to get an uninterrupted good nite sleep. If you'd like more information or free samples let me know. I could also send you some information. My kids have taken it for almost a year now and done great.

It's time to stop nursing then. Does she take milk at all yet? If not, please do know that milk will fill her little tummy more and "hold" her off for a longer period of time. You are not a 24/7 milk machine with her being 13 months old, and if she just needs the comfort at night, go in and change her or just pat her back to sleep.

Children learn what we teach them and you are teaching her that it is okay for her to wake up and nurse in the middle of the night.

If she is truly hungry, give milk at bedtime.

Good Luck -

Dear G.,
I had difficulty with my daughter at this age too. I knew she didn't need to nurse in the night but still woke and needed to be held for-EVER before she went back to sleep. Here's what I did to get over this period:
When putting her to bed, I would gently but clearly explain what was going to happen (i.e. no milk in the night, no pick ups, yes mommy hugs, night is time to sleep). I strongly believe in verbally spelling out my intentions and expectations, then following through with actions.
When she woke in the night I would go to her crib and hug her/hold her over the side of the crib but NOT pick her up. It took a long time and some tears and about 3 nights, but eventually she stopped needing me to go to her.
For a few weeks more she would cry out a few times in the night, then roll over and go back to sleep. I'd wake in a rush of adrenaline but she was really learning how to soothe herself.
She does still have a pacifier.
Good luck! I know that frustration and dread you feel when they wake too early and you know you have a hard day ahead.
A.

G.....First of all, good for you for still nursing your little one if that's what you want to do. No, you do not need to wean her simply because she's past the age of 1 as some of these other posts state. If you both still want to breastfeed, then by all means, keep doing it. I have a 17-month old who usually wakes up around 6 a.m., which is way too early for me, a non-morning person. I bring him to bed with me and nurse him and he goes back to sleep until between 7 and 8. I know that he's not nursing because he's hungry, but for the comfort of having mommy close by. I love to snuggle up with him and wake up next to him in the morning. You may find that your daughter will sleep longer if you bring her to bed with you. Good luck from a fellow non-morning mommy!

Wow! She is a good sleeper. You are blessed. I would say if you like her current bedtime then take a look at what you are doing when she wakes up. Do you pick her up without talking to her, lay her down in the bed next to you and let her nurse while you sleep? This is what I did and it always kept my boys from thinking it was time to get up too soon. If the house is dark and quiet and you just pick her up out of the crib and lay her next to you to nurse she should get the hint that its not yet "morning".

Be blessed.

Put her to bed later. Just change the start and end time of sleep.

When my daughter's cycle is off, I get her up early and put her to bed let to reset the clock.

Stephanie