Going Crazy with Such an Early Bedtime

I have 2 little girls 2 & 3 years old. They did the same thing going to bed around 6pm and waking up around 7am. when they were that little. Now they go to bed ever night at 8pm and sleep till 7:30am, or later. If were not at home by their bed times I would get them to sleep where ever, and as soon as we got home put them in bed. You had rather have a baby that has had enough sleep than not. And it will also make it easier in the long run when school start for them. You are not going to want to keep her up till 9:30 or 10:00pm on a school night. Keep going just like you are. M. J.

Hi M.. Congrats on the great schedule! My only advice here is to not tiptoe around the sleeping baby. Its good to have a noisy environment for them. If they get used to sleeping in dead silence you'll always have to keep it that way to avoid waking them up. With both of my children we kept the tv on and the phone ringing and even did laundry and housework. Those that get used to sleeping in noice can sleep through anything. I can still pick up my youngest, who is 7 now, and move her to a different location without waking her up. As for the family visiting, i'd tell them to either come earlier if they want to actually hold the baby, or understand if they come past bedtime all they can do is look. They will understand. Best of luck to you.

Well with my daughter we had that same problem in the beginning, but we slowly started to move her times a little back every feeding and naps and then it came to that she was going to bed at 8:30 and getting up at 7....but slowly start moving her feedings say if you were to get her up at 6 and feed her and she wants to eat at 9 try to feed her at 9:15 and then at 12:30 or what ever her schedule is and slowly move everything back so she gets into the ruitine of it and soon enough she will be going to bed later and getting up later but dont be too drastic or you will have a cranky tired fussy baby.........good luck

My daughter likes to sleep early too. She is 9 mo. and seems to like this schedule best. She slept through the night for the first time last night. I usually have to get up and give her a bottle then put her back to bed.

I'd say if they want to keep her up late then they need to be willing to help get her to bed. :-) If they can do that she may go to bed later and get up later. Just a thought.

Take care,
M.

I honestly think there is a lot of crabby kids around because they don't get enough sleep AND they are not on a routine.

This is a short season of your life - you will enjoy those children so much more if they are pleasant and routine and rest is a huge part of that.

Think of it as a priority shift for a while...I never regretted it and my kids were more fun than the friends made the children adjust to their late schedules.

my daughter, sydney, is now 7 months and when she was about 2 or 3 months, she started going to bed around the same time as your baby. as sydney is getting older and more active, she has been going to bed around 8:30-9 o clock.
i just make sure that she knows what night and day are and i make sure she gets a nap during the day.
good luck

This is actually a pretty normal problem. I have a 4 year old and an 18 month old. Its great that you have a routine set now, because it WILL effect how bedtime happens when they are pre-k. My kids go to bed at 8, wake up anywhere from 6-7:30. I think your body just learns to deal with it. I dont go to bed until at least 10, thats still 7-8 hours of sleep (interrupted at times). You know you cant change her schedule, so the only thing left is to try to adjust to your new schedule and allow yourself that time up. Your daughter is still so small and she's bound to mess up that schedule you tried so hard to put into place just to show you who's boss :) even if just for a little bit. I would also suggest letting the inlaws come over still. Just as long as there is no very loud noises, your daughter should still learn to sleep while company is over...otherwise you'll really be put into a rock and a hard place. It'll take some time trial and error with all the bedtime details- but you'll adjust and have a productive nightlife again :) How long it lasts depends on the child- some stick to it and do great (my daughter) some give you trouble off and on for years (my son) until you seek medical help!! LOL

My daughter is seven YEARS old and still goes to bed at 8pm. Because she's in school and has to be awake and functioning by 7am, and she needs this much sleep, there is no way to let her stay up later than that without negatively impacting her health and ability to function in school. I consider the hours between 8pm-10pm (when I go to bed) to be a very special time to read quietly, catch up with my husband, and generally do things for myself. I used to call my infant daughter "the little general" because it seemed crazy that such a tiny person was reorganizing our entire household, but years later, all I can say is GET USED TO IT!

I agree with everyone... this sounds like a perfect schedule to me! Your in-laws will have to understand. I think it's worth adjusting your routine to have her on such a schedule. I always loved that my kids went to be early because I got to have some quiet time before bed with my husband.

You are lucky that your 3 month old sleeps so well. YOU really shouldn't complain. A bedtime between 7 ands 8 is perfect for children, I have 2 kids, my 4 year old is always in bed by 8 and my 9 month old by 7:30 or 8.

Hi M. ! I wouldn't woory about making the in laws happy as long as your daughter is getting the rest she needs, let them be the least of your worries right now. Babies change their schedule so much and so quickly anyway, they can see her when it's more convenient for you and your family. They should understand that. My little boy was a baby that couldn't be touched while he was sleeping or he was awake immediately and my in laws and my parents just couldn't understand that at all because he had a cousin that could handled at any time whether she was sleeping or not. Every child is different. But trust me, just when you think you will get used to this shcedule, she will change !! EVERY TIME!! LOL good luck !

Honey.. DON'T MESS WITH HER! My daughter goes to sleep between 6:30-7:30. Yes, it's a bit of a PIA at times but if I don't go by her schedule it makes thing worse for us all. I can sometimes push her to stay awake til 8:00 but she's not a happy baby. Monday thru Friday it's a strict schedule. If people want to visit and play then they have to do it on Saturday or Sunday. Seriously, you will cause yourself a lot pf pain if you start making her stay awake later. You are lucky she is sleeping so good so early! Oh and my daughter is 13 months and has been going to sleep by 8:00 since she was about 3 months old.. They needs LOTS of sleep! ;)
K.

count yourself as blessed. you have a 3 month old that sleeps all night thats pretty rare, I wouldnt mess with it, yes it may mean you have to close up shop early but thats what comes with beign a parent especially one of a infant. and having a baby that goes to bed early is MUCH better than having one thats over tired and kranky and wont go to sleep. You might try putting her to bed and then getting a babysitter to come over and sit with her while you and your hubby go out. heck if hubbys family likes to come over the tiem your ar putting her down get them to watch her.

I can totally relate to you with this issue. My son usually goes to bed around 8-8:30ish and wakes pretty much around 6:00 every morning. The same is simular with us and my in laws. We have just made it a point to tell them that if they want to see him they will have to come a little earlier. So they will show up around 6:00ish and that way they have some time together and they are not disrupting his schedule. Or, sometimes we will let him stay up until 9:00 to spend more time with his grandparents and it does not seem to effect his schedule. Look at it this way, atleast he is on a schedule and sleeps through the night. It could be a lot worse!!

I disagree with alot of your other advice. I have always worked between noon and eight or nine at night. I would try gradually changing her schedule. Try puting her to bed ten or fifteen minutes later than her normal bedtime. A week later push her back ten or fifteen minutes more. Don't completely change the routine just gradually do it over time. My son now two goes to bed at 9:30 or 10 pm and wakes up between 8:30 and nine in the morning. Children can be adjusted to your schedule in my opinion.

My son is now 20 months old and goes to bed between 7 and 7:30 p.m. That's when he's tired, and he has been going to bed then for more than a year now (since he was on a more regular sleep and nap schedule).

He takes one nap a day now, goes to bed around 7ish, and wakes up around 6:30 a.m. Some kids even his age do about the same, and some are more late night kids with different schedules -- we have a morning guy!

We just always did what seemed to work for our little guy, as it makes our life easier when he's rested, in a good mood and able to have some control over his routine.

Yes, this can be challenging sometimes with evening plans (especially if we get invited over somewhere and folks want us to bring our son and don't understand why he needs to go to sleep earlier than 10 p.m.)!

But, I know he'll only be this little once, he needs his sleep, and my hubby and I enjoy our time as adults in between when he goes to sleep and when we do.

We remember the days when he was a small infant and we would take him places and he'd stay up until 10 or 11 p.m. But, we actually prefer now just because he sleeps through the night, is much more on a real schedule, and we know things can change anytime! ;)

We've just had to let friends and family know what works for our family to see our son (weekends, early evening, daytime) and realize that this to shall pass! ;)

I have a 9 month old who also goes to bed @ 6:00. It does feel a little entrapping, but it's better than the alternative - a sleep deprived baby. Since my daughter is in daycare, it's hard for me to control her nap schedule. You may try to see if you can add a nap to her schedule or try to make the naps she's taking a little longer. But, I ABSOLUTELY wouldn't keep her up at night to make her bed time later....if she's ready to go to sleep, put her down. If you can manipulate her nap schedule she may get enough sleep during the day so that she wouldn't need to go to sleep so early at night. Otherwise, she's not going to sleep through the night anymore if you just try keeping her up later without replacing the lost sleep.

I went through that when my dd was an infant. I felt like I had no life because of that. We've always been late night people. Finally a friend told me to do what was best for my family and the baby would adjust. So we switched her bedtime to 9:30. If we were out, we were always by home by then. If we had company, they could spend time with her and be gone before bed. It just seemed to work best for us. I could also get her to bed and still have time for myself.

I've always heard that if you decide to change the child's schedule, only do it 30 minutes at a time. So if you decide to do this, maybe keep her up 30 minutes later for a few days, then add 30 more minutes on.