need help

My girls will be 3 months tomorrow and sleep pretty well during the day; generally take one long nap close to 2 hrs long and will also nap between feedings. But once 5/6 PM comes around they will only cat nap for maybe 20 minutes or so and are generally fussy. Anyone else have this happen? Any ideas for gettingn them to sleep? They have their last feed around 9:30 and go down around 10:30.

 

Mine are the same way...fussy about 5 or 6pm. We put them down as early as 6:30pm if they are that fussy, but usually they go down about 7 or 7:30pm. They are probably fussy because they are tired. Try moving thier bed time up. I've been reading HSHHC and that has helped. My girls will be 3mo on the 26th. They have slept through the night since 6 weeks. We had a bed time routine as soon as they came home and we try and stick to the 7:30pm bed time if we can (unless we are out). I find now that if they don't go down by 7:30pm they are overtired and it takes forever to soothe them so they fall asleep.

 

QUOTE(kathyc @ Jun 19 2008, 05:40 PM) [snapback]836145[/snapback]
My girls will be 3 months tomorrow and sleep pretty well during the day; generally take one long nap close to 2 hrs long and will also nap between feedings. But once 5/6 PM comes around they will only cat nap for maybe 20 minutes or so and are generally fussy. Anyone else have this happen? Any ideas for gettingn them to sleep? They have their last feed around 9:30 and go down around 10:30.


Usually I try to not let my girls nap after 3pm and their bedtime is 7pm (start bedtime routine at 6pm (bath,eat,rock/sing). If I let them nap too close to bedtime they will cat nat uptil 11pm at night and are very fussy and have a hard time settling down (by then they are exhausted and frustrated and it is crazy trying to get them asleep!). Do you have a bedtime routine? I have a 2 hour rule during the day. They are up 2 hours sleep for 2 hours until 3pm then they are up until bedtime. (My girls are also 3 months). Typical day looks like this:

7am - wake/get ready for day/eat/play
9am - nap
11 - wake/eat/play
1pm - nap
3pm - wake/eat/play
6pm - bath/eat/cuddle(rock/sing/story)
7pm - sleep
1am - eat, go back to sleep
4am - eat, go back to sleep

Sticking to a routine and getting them to bed earlier in the evening helps my girls.

 

I agree with pp. Maybe try to let them nap no later than 3pm or so and then moving up bedtime to 7pm. Many, many people have posted about tired babies. Usually, moving up their bedtime was really helpful :hug99: !

 

QUOTE(amyjoy3 @ Jun 19 2008, 11:41 PM) [snapback]836215[/snapback]
Mine are the same way...fussy about 5 or 6pm. We put them down as early as 6:30pm if they are that fussy, but usually they go down about 7 or 7:30pm. They are probably fussy because they are tired. Try moving thier bed time up. I've been reading HSHHC and that has helped. My girls will be 3mo on the 26th. They have slept through the night since 6 weeks. We had a bed time routine as soon as they came home and we try and stick to the 7:30pm bed time if we can (unless we are out). I find now that if they don't go down by 7:30pm they are overtired and it takes forever to soothe them so they fall asleep.



when you say sleep through the night what do you mean? Do they go from 7:30 PM until morning?? I have a 4 yr old so it is hard to do bedtime for the twins at 7 because with dinner and baths and her bedtime routine we get her to be between 7:30/8. The twins didn't nap after 3 yesterday and went down in their crib swaddled around 7:30/8. I woke them at 10 to feed them and they went back down easily BUT they were up at 2:40 AM and 5:40 AM to eat...I think I'd rather baby juggle from 8-10 PM and get their long sleep when I am sleeping otherwise I'll be a zombie.

 

QUOTE(kathyc @ Jun 21 2008, 05:51 PM) [snapback]838538[/snapback]
The twins didn't nap after 3 yesterday and went down in their crib swaddled around 7:30/8. I woke them at 10 to feed them and they went back down easily BUT they were up at 2:40 AM and 5:40 AM to eat...I think I'd rather baby juggle from 8-10 PM and get their long sleep when I am sleeping otherwise I'll be a zombie.


At 3 months mine were still taking a cat nap around 3:30 or 4 for at least 45 minutes. IMO keeping a 3 month old up from 3-7:30/8 pm is way too much awake time and it will be harder to get them to sleep at some point because they will be overstimulated. At that age mine slept whenever and wherever. They were still waking at least 3 times at night to eat. So I dont think eating at 10 pm and then getting up at 2:40 and 5:40 is that bad. Sounds like they are doing well to me. STTN at this age is not the norm from what I have seen so dont be too hard on yourself.

 

I agree that the HSHHC book is really helpful at this age. It kind of goes against traditional thinking, but I have found with my babies that it's true, the longer they stay up the harder time they have falling asleep b/c they get overstimulated. Mine take a shorter nap in the late afternoon early evening, then are to bed about 90 minutes after they wake up. I know what you're saying about wanting them to sleep when you sleep!! But it seems like babies actually do sleep longer when they go to bed earlier. I put mine down around 7, and then I dreamfeed them when I go to bed so I know they'll sleep at least another 3 hours, and so will I. Mine have been eating at 12 and 4 for as long as I can remember months) but miraculously this last week have dropped the 12:00 feeding. I never thought it would happen, but they did it on their own. The only thing we have changed in the last week is that they're sleeping in their own room, and also we've had them fall asleep (pretty much) on their own, instead of soothing them to sleep each night. But we didn't start that until they were close to 4 months.