Daughter stays up late!

[Taylorsmom]

I am a new mom and my daughter is now 5 months old. When she was younger she would go to sleep between 9-10 pm, but for the past few weeks she has been staying up as late as midnight... and she only goes to sleep when shes tired. I dont just lay her in her crib, i rock her to sleep. She does sleep through the night though. My husband and myself are use to staying up late so its not that im not getting any sleep, I just dont want her to be going to bed this late as she gets older. Does anyone else have this problem? Does anyone have any advice for me?

[ra11en]

Do you have a routine for bed time? Its okay for her to go to sleep late if that is your schedule, but how many hours a night is she getting? And you're right, her habits now will flow over into her toddler / childhood bed time routines as well.

By 5 months, she should be sleeping through the night and learning how to put herself to sleep. Around that age, we were advised to start slightly nudging our DD awake right before we put her in her crib so she was slightly awake.

To get her to sleep earlier, we just did it. Really. I knew what time I wanted her to wake up in the morning, and I knew how many hours she slept at night, so that helped us pin point what time she needed to go to bed at night. Our ped said between 7p and 9p is the optimal time for bedtime for such little ones. We started her night night routine very young and still use it today (she's 2yrs). As soon as we start the routine, she starts yawning - even if she was just bouncing off the walls the second before! First bath, then PJs, then brush teeth, kisses/hugs to everyone, wave night night to special toys, in her room for a story with her sippy of water, then into the crib she goes. I've always been very strict on night night. I used to rock her to sleep, then I would wake her a little, then we put her to bed wide awake and helped her learn to self soothe. At night, she doesn't get to leave the room. Sometimes I can hear her in her bed talking to her Elmo doll but she always falls asleep within a few minutes.

A routine really helps them 'click' that its time for bed. Your DD is still pretty young but could probably adjust to a new bed time quite easily if you stick to it.

[cay8099]

Bed time whether it's 9 or 12 is all about the routine. My husband and I were night owls so it never bothered us either when our first stayed up late. The bed time is not as important as the routine as long as your DD is getting the amount of sleep she needs. When my DH started on midnight bedtime became 10:30. The routine hasn't changed the time has.

[Taylorsmom]

Thank you both for your reply. She actually went to bed at 10:30 tonight. I think that I have spoiled her by rocking her to sleep everynight since she was born. How can I get her on a schedual? My husband and I have a routien we do, he will walk her around the room and sometimes put her to sleep by himself, but some night I give her a bottle to put her to bed. I dont think I could let her just let her cry herself to sleep. I think its mean. :(
Thanks again.

[ra11en]

My first step getting my DD on a schedule was to jot down her natural schedule for a few days so I could get a better idea on what her natural tendancies were. Then, I just kinda implemented that natural schedule in more of a structured way - for example, I knew she was ready for a nap at a certain time, so even if she put up a fight, I stuck to it. And the schedule will adjust as she grows and develops. From two naps, to one, and so forth. Eating food on a regular schedule also helps them a lot. Snacks and meal times at the same time each day definitely cements the schedule in my opinion, and its one of the easiest to implement!!

As for not letting her cry herself to sleep - that's gonna make it very tough on you. Especially when you need to be helping her to self sooth. I know, it is so incredibly hard to hear your baby crying when you know you can make the crying stop just by holding her. However, you are keeping her from learning a vital tool - how to soothe herself, how to sleep well, how to fall back asleep when she wakes up at night without Mommy. And you don't necessarily have to let her scream for hours until she goes to sleep from exhaustion. You can find a method in between that will ultimately work for you both. You will have to learn to let her cry however, and know in your heart its whats best for her. She is a baby, she doesn't know what's best for her, you do. Just because she WANTS you to hold her or comfort her, doesn't mean thats what she needs.

I promise, it won't hurt her to cry. It won't hurt her to cry A LOT even. My DD is 2 yrs old and we have never regretted our decision to teach her to sleep alone and to learn to fall asleep using a CIO method (with a slight variation that worked best for my DD). It definitely hasn't hurt our bond with her, we are still her favorite people in the world.

[mylilprince2008]

My Baby Use To Sleep Really Good After A Good Shower Every Night And Since Like 3 Days Ago He Wakes Up At 3 And Wont Sleep Until 5 In The Morning Thats Driving Me Crazy What Should I Do!!!!!!!

[cay8099]

I keep telling everyone that when your child wakes up in the middle of the night be BORING. Don't talk, don't take them out of bed. Even change the diaper in bed. Taking them out of bed in the middle of the night gives the impression that it's okay to be awake, when it's not. If it's just a little fuss give them a minute to make sure their not gonna go back to sleep on their own. Full blown cry go in, if binky is in play give back bink. Cover them back up and leace the room. You make need to repeat, but eventually they will learn to self soothe.

[Taylorsmom]

Most nights it is sooo easy to put her to sleep...like tonight. She had been awake for soo long during the day. So I gave her a bath at about 9, got her for ready for bed, gave her 3 oz. and off to sleep she went. I also have to learn to get her to fall asleep without a bottle because I know when her teeth come in its not good to let the milk sit in her mouth... im at a loss of what to do. HELP..Most nights she does not go to bed this early so when she does my husband and myself are a little shocked. lol
I will try to track her eating and sleeping habits throughout the day, but I know it will do no good. They change so much from day to day, I cant make he sleep when shes not tired so I dont know what to do. I think being a first time mom makes it even harder.