Does anyone have their 4 month old on a sleep schedule already? Or a bedtime rountine?

Kiley - posted on 12/10/2008

Yep. Started my son Evan on his bedtime routine back in the end of September. Works pretty well. Helped to have him "sleep through the night." Starting daycare and nights when we aren't home are really the only things that throw it off. He eats around 630-715p. Change his diaper and then to bed. First couple nights were hard, him crying but within about 3 nights no issue. Last night he tried to put himself to bed at 630p. I couldn't believe it.

Heather - posted on 12/10/2008

Hey Crystal, My daughter Ainsley will be 4 months o the 25th and she still isn't on a strict schedule. SHe goes down for her naps and eats at roughly the same times during the day but she does it not me. I feel like she should be on a schedule but when push comes to shove our days rarely work out that way.

Whitney - posted on 12/10/2008

Jp will be 4 months on the 18th and he was doing great. he basically made his own "routine". but now (started 2 days ago) he's fighting sleep. yesterday he didnt nap at all and today he's gotten tired enuf to fall asleep but he just wont stay asleep. ovay! so we're just gonna see how it goes

Lori - posted on 12/10/2008

I have a very strict bedtime routine that I stick to and it works like a charm. I use the "5 B's" every night starting at 7pm: Bath, Baby massage, Book, Boob, Bed and my little guy sleeps through the night. He's four months old now and has been consistentlly sleeping through the night since we started the routine at 2.5 months. He's usually fast asleep by 8 and he wake up around 5:30-6.



He takes about three naps a day ranging from 30-60 minutes. My mother and grandmother always say "sleep begets sleep" and it's certainly proven true for my little guy.

Ann - posted on 12/10/2008

I wouldn't call it a schedule but after 3 months of total chaos our little girl started making her own routine recently. She first started to consolidate her sleep into two big chunks from about 7pm-11pm or so and then down again from midnight to 4 or 5am. It was wonderful. Then without anything different from us, she slept all night. Like 10 hours...it was amazing. Now she has been doing the overnight thing for a few weeks and it's been ranging from 9 hours to 12 hours straight. I honestly didn't do anything to encourage this...no bedtime routine, no bathing every night, no books...it was just a matter of her getting to the developmental point that she wanted to do it. I swear before this I thought I was failing miserably at the whole "routine" thing. But I guess the baby will make their own timetable...just be patient. She does play after each feeding, including the last and we generally put her in a sleep sack before her bedtime, but that's it. Oh, and she's formula fed and sleeps on her tummy if that makes any difference.

Crystal - posted on 12/10/2008

thanks for the help... hopefully getting him on a schedule will help hime sleep better through the night. i know with brestfeeding he can still wake up several times a night, but it is getting a little old!

Jennifer - posted on 12/10/2008

Yeah sometimes 10 hours! At first I was worried the it was to long but after talking to their doctor, she said as long as they are still gaining weight, active and eating lots during the day it's fine.

Crystal, I still don't use a schedule with my girls, I do feed on demand with them, it's roughly every 4 hours for them. Like I wrote earlier, just try your hardest to make night feedings a totally different experience, lights dim and no interaction.

Tracy - posted on 12/10/2008

I don't think so Crystal - our ped says babies this age need 15-16 hours of sleep.

Kimberly - posted on 12/10/2008

Wow 10 hours a night?!? Must be so nice!!! My baby just started sleeping through the night the last 3 weeks!!! And to Crystal's response...if he sleeps long naps in the day...i find just let them sleep...they need it but only if they are active during the day as well to balance out their energy levels. I find lots of play during the day and a nice bath at night really helps.

Crystal - posted on 12/10/2008

wow, i find it hard to get him on a schedule. i feel like he is tired at different times every night. also, he still wakes up every few hours to nurse. i wonder if getting him on the schedule will help him sleep longer and want to go to bed at the same time every night. he naps three different times during the day randomly for about an hour each time. is that too much napping?

Jennifer - posted on 12/10/2008

I have 3 and a half month old twin girls and I bath them after their last feeding every night any time from 6:30pm to 8:30pm using Bedtime Bath then rub them down with Bedtime Lotion and they sleep until any time from 7:00am to 9:00am. If they do wake up in the middle of the night I do a "night time feeding". I don't play or talk to them at all, I don't even make eye contact and believe me it's tough especially when they have a big smile but we've been doing it since birth and both of them have been sleeping through the night since they were 2 months old.

Tracy - posted on 12/10/2008

Our routine w/ our almost 4 month old consists of jammies, a book, nursing at 9:30 and in his co-sleeper at 10. He sleeps 10 hours at night and has about 3 naps during the day.

Kimberly - posted on 12/10/2008

My daughter Charlotte will be 4 months on Christmas Day. My hubby and I have started a nighttime routine where we do her last feeding at midnight and she generally goes down for the night until 6 or 6:30am. During the day she seems to catnap, which I heard is a bad thing. This is our first child , so I'm kinda relying on books and grandma's advice ;)