Another Sleep ?

Hi everyone,

I have been reading a lot about the importance of sleep and naps on this sight and in books. But, what I think is impossible is putting the twins down at 6 - 7pm. I find it hard to do now when the girls are 3 months and I am still home with them. But, it will be even more impossible when I go back to work in September. I live in one of the 5 boros of NYC, get out of work after 5:00 and have an 1.5 hour commute. Is anyone else in the same situation? If so, how do you handle sleep time when everything you read states the importance of 6pm sleep? Am I destined for sleep deprived twins?

Any advice or encouragment would be appreciated.

 

I get out of work at 2:30 and they still do not go to sleep at 6:00 p.m. They never did. They have always gone to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 depending on how difficult it is going. Dinner is around 6:00; bath at 6:30; playtime with DH and bedtime bottles around 7:30-7:45 depending if they are showing signs of being tired. They sleep pretty much through the night and if they do get up the CIO for a minute and are back to sleep. They rarely need me in the night.

 

Our bedtime started out to be around 930 when they were younger. With all of my kids, it just gradually worked it's way earlier. My babies go to bed at 7 now. I think 6 would be too early for me, even though I stay at home!!

 

My babies go to sleep around 7 but sometimes it is closer to 8. If I was to put them down at 6 than my DH would get very little time with them. When I do go back to work the time may need to be adjusted to 730 or 8 so that we can all have family time. But I have never been able to 6.

 

Our bedtime routine starts at 7pm and the girls usually go down around 8Pm. We started their bed time at 9:30 when they were younger and then just gradually moved it earlier and earlier by about 15 minutes each week. I don't think we will move it too much early because my dh doesn't get home until at the earliest 5:30.

 

Mine don't go to bed that early either, nor did my older ones. They still take 3 naps though. That is too early for our family also and they are good sleepers and nappers and I am a SAHM.

 

My older ones bedtime always was and still is at 8Pm. We start the routine at 7:30pm. Their dad doesn't get home from work until 6:30pm so we do a late dinner and a little playtime beofre bedtime. I'll do the same w/ the twins. No one is sleep deprived and they need some daddy time too!

--Krista

 

I live in the Bronx, work in manhattan. My commute is 1 hr, 15 min door to door. I leave at 7:30 am and get home around 6. I put my girls to sleep at 8:30pm. I don't think it's so much the time that matters as the amount of sleep. My girls go down at 8:30, I wake them up at about 6am, feed them, dress them, and put them back to bed. They'll then sleep again until b/t 9 & 10:30 depending on the day. They then usually get about 2 - 3hrs worth of naps in, either in a bunch of shorter naps or a couple of longer naps.

 

When I put mine down at 6 they seem to think it's a nap and are wide awake at 8. If I wait until 7 they go until the midnight feeding.

 

My babes are now going down at around 10PM and up by 8 or 9 AM (several times in the night) we have no nap routine it is just when and where ever they go down (horrible habit I know) With my first I was so anal... naps at a certain time and nights down by 8 ( and she is an excelent sleeper) but with the twins I am still in survival mode I guess.

 

I started the 7pm bedtime after reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Now it's gone a little earlier to 6:30. Their night time habits haven't changed at all- they still wake up at around 2 and again around 5 for feedings and then sleep until 7. It's not easy to do even being at home full time- I have to stop everything at 5:45 pm and start getting baths going and all that.

 

QUOTE
If so, how do you handle sleep time when everything you read states the importance of 6pm sleep? Am I destined for sleep deprived twins?


I read Weissbluth when I had my daughter and followed his advice - we started putting her to bed earlier and earlier, finally ending up at 6:30 p.m. which we still do today (she's 2 now). It worked well for us, she started sleeping thru at 9 weeks and by 3 months was sleeping 11-12 hours a night, but I get out of work at 5 and have a 5 minute commute. I think that the bottom line is that you want to *aim* for putting them to bed before 8 p.m. If it has to be 7:00-7:30, I think that's fine. It can be challenging to put them to bed early, but having the alone time with DH has been invaluable to me. For my twins, I put them down at around 7:30, then wake them briefly at 11 p.m for a "dream feed" and they typically sleep until about 5-6 a.m.

You have to do what works for you.