Should I wake them up in the morning?

For all my fellow schedule lovers, especially SAHMs: the girls are all over the place with wake time. Over the months they have moved from 8ish to 6ish, and just when I thought they were settling in at 6-6:30 now they are waking anywhere from 6 to 7:30.

I'm a firm believer in shedule and routine, but have hesitated to wake them at a certain time because I would love for them to sleep later (say 6:45 or later) like they used to and would hate to undermine the slim chance that they will start to consistently wake then. The problem is that when they sleep in, their naps are later and they won't always take the second nap which leads to cranky babies.

So, should I pick a time and wake them to keep the sleep schedule, or is it better to let them naturally get all the sleep they need that particular night? I used to be so sure about all of this, and now I'm starting to second guess everything--they change SO often!

 

If it were me and the later sleeping time was preventing a second nap (which I depend on) I would wake them provided they are getting the sleep they need-- like sleeping about 12 hours through the night. And if they are cranky from not getting the nap I think it's okay to wake them to be sure they are getting the naps they need during the day. But that is just me

Rachel

 

According to my book (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) it's okay to wake your babies in the morning to protect a sleep schedule.

I wish mine would sleep later!!

 

In order to keep the rest of the day intact, I would wake them at 7ish. Like pp said, if they have slept 12 hours it should be okay. What I did when they slept to long was to start making noises outside the room {like singing while getting the milk ready} The few times I did let them sleep in {until 8 or so} it messed the whole day up and it made for some very cranky babies! Good luck!

 

Thanks ladies. Unfortunately, they are not getting 12 hours of sleep, so I am still not sure what to do. We consistently start bedtime routine at 6:45 with bath, bottle and to bed at 7:45. Usually they stay awake in their cribs chatting for 1/2 hour to 1 hour, which means their nighttime sleep is anywhere from 10 to 11 hours. I've considered in the past moving their bedtime up (which we did, from 8 to 7:45) but haven't seen any good results from that. Sleep, sleep, where fore art thou sleep???

 

Hmmm...well I think you are on the right track with moving up the bedtime. Maybe even earlier if you can?? I dont consider 10 or 11 hours a total bust either. If they are taking good naps (when the nap) then maybe just some evening tweaking will get you where you want to be

Rachel

 

the days i don't have to work, i always go to get them around 7:30. even if they have woken up earlier, which they will on occassion. usually when they do, they just kind of babble a bit then go back to sleep. i'd say most of the time i open the door, they are already up and quietly playing (which i am FINE with!). i also have found when they sleep later, our whole day is thrown off, and i jsut can't deal with that!!! i think 11-12 hrs. is fine, as long as they are getting enough sleep during naps too to get them to the recommended 14-15 hrs. total daily sleep time.

 

I wake my children (except my oldest) up at 7.00 am to start the day. I've always done that in order to secure the 9.00 am morning nap, so that we can do something in the morning after their nap. My oldest only takes an afternoon nap, so I usually leave her longer unless she needs to go to school (3 days a week), but she often wakes before 7.30 am. My twins have a feeding around 5.30/6.00 am but do go back down, so that's why they sleep til 7.00 am. They go down at 6.30 pm. My oldest was a better sleeper and slept 6 to 7 non stop at 4 months, although I am not complaining ... I'd just love to get rid of that early morning feeding ... tried everything, no luck yet.