they have GOT to sleep in later!

From about 4-9 months, my girls were sleeping from 8pm-8am with a couple of small naps. Now they've been sleeping from 8-4:30ish EVERY day. Then they want to take like three naps in during the day. It's driving me crazy. I've tried putting them to sleep an hour or two later, but they get way to cranky. I'm getting tired of waking up before the roosters every morning. What should I do?

 

From about 4-9 months, my girls were sleeping from 8pm-8am with a couple of small naps. Now they've been sleeping from 8-4:30ish EVERY day. Then they want to take like three naps in during the day. It's driving me crazy. I've tried putting them to sleep an hour or two later, but they get way to cranky. I'm getting tired of waking up before the roosters every morning. What should I do?

 

Try putting them down sooner and see what happens. Give the last bottle at 7pm.....in cribs by 7:30. Do it for a week or so and see if they sleep longer in the am.

 

I agree with the pp about putting them down earlier. If your kids are overtired they won't sleep as long or as well at night. I would try a really early bedtime, like 6:30, and see what happens!

 

I have to disagree with the earlier bedtime b/c they're overtired theory (contingent upon your napping schedule). Here's why:

Mine have been doing this for about 6 weeks now. They are not overtired. We are on a 2 nap schedule: 9-11 & 2:30-4. If I was to put them to bed earlier (which we've tried to no avail), it would require switching them to 1 nap a day in order for them to be tired at 6:30pm.

The boys are never up for more than 4 hours...usually closer to 3 hours of awake time. At 10- months old, I think that's just right. I think it's a catch-22 about striking a balance between giving them enough awake time between naps/bed & cutting out that last nap before you're ready to. I'm not ready to move them to one nap yet, but imagine we'll be doing it sooner than most folks.

I'm hoping the early wakings will be a passing phase because they have so much going on right now (pulling up, cruising, teething). Here's hoping for some more sleep for the both of us.

 

We are also going through an earlier waking phase, at least I hope it's just a phase.

 

I had one who started waking early and someone on another board suggested gently waking them when we go to bed (it's a certain doctor's theory, but I forget which one). So DH usually goes to bed around midnight, and before he went he'd gently wake her up. She'd fall right back to sleep and slept later. No idea why it worked, but it did.

 

I would love to know what the answer is, but I am here just to say I'm going through the same thing. My guys wake between 4:30 and 5:00am every single day. They go to bed between 6 and 6:30pm, so they couldn't possibly go to bed earlier and they will not stay up later! I keep praying it will end and they will stop waking me so darn early, but it's been at least 3 weeks now, so I guess I'm just doomed! My oldest son never slept in either. I have only just gotten him to sleep until 7am and I thought that was early! Oh the days of sleeping until 9 (or 11)! Good luck with sleep.

Kelly

 

i really can offer any advice but im sorry to hear about u getting up with the roosters. good luck.

 

I have been going through the same thing......what I did was eliminate their latest nap in the day....force them to stay awake....I will be rough for a few days....but the pay off should be them sleeping through the night again.

Maggie

Parker and Lily 10 mos old.

 

I agree with pp....my boys have been on one nap for a couple of months now, i pushed their early nap a little later and later until they were at noon so they sleep from then till around 2:30 or 3:00 then they go to bed at 7:30 and we DO NOT get up until 7:00am if they wake I let them play in their beds and if it is early they will go back to sleep...it took a couple of weeks to change things around but it really works. Good luck
Amanda