bed time needs help asap!

Kristen - posted on 02/01/2010

My daughter goes to sleep at about 10 too. Try lavender bath products, nice massage with lotion, don't give a bottle in the crib though (not good for teeth), same routine as much as possible, read a book to her, a soft blanket helps my daughter (she sucks her thumb though). Luckily, she goes to sleep fully awake on her own. She wakes up around 10 am and takes 2 lengthy naps every day and is 22# and eats like a pig so all this stuff has worked for her.

Lysa - posted on 01/31/2010

Thanks for all the great Advise.. I'll try it.. The only thing is that right now she has 3 tooth coming in all at once which it's impacting her a lot. She has a runny nose, fever and soar mouth.. so far so good.. Gave her a bath at 7 pm, and sleeping peacefully in her crib since 8:30.. Fingers crossed hopefully all night...

Lynn - posted on 01/29/2010

my daughter took till 9 months to sleep good. She goes down between 8 & 8:30 every night. I had to let her cry it out a few times. She does still wake a couple of times but goes right back to bed. She sleeps till 7:30-8. She only takes one nap during the day and it is early morning by 11:30 for 2 hours. I hear alot of stories that the more they sleep the better they sleep.

Melissa - posted on 01/29/2010

That's what my doctor recommended, what Vicki said. To slowly move up the bedtime time by 15 mins at a time. Also, my son used to wake up in the middle of the night for a bottle but my doctor said that by this age he doesn't need a bottle in the middle of the night anymore. So as soon as I stopped giving him a bottle in the middle of the night, he started sleeping through the night.

Vicki - posted on 01/29/2010

The one good tip I got when my son was very young was that he needs to learn to settle himself and it was a god send (once I got my head round it).

When I first got him into a routine and he was younger, we bathed him about 10, then bottle, cuddle and down whilst sleepy but not yet asleep. We then gradually reduced the bedtime in 15 mins slots until it got earlier and earlier and he now gets bathed at 6, put down at about 6.45 and sleeps through til half 7.

My advice would be to try and get the bath time nearer to the time she actually drops off therefore getting the bath to asleep time shorter. Once you have got that sorted then start bringing the bath time earlier and earlier.

When she wakes in the night leave it a few mins before you go in (I know, everything is telling you to go in straight away and comfort her but it has worked for me). Hopefully she will learn to settle herself back down.

I wish you well and hope you soon get 8 hours all to yourself

Jeanine - posted on 01/28/2010

I agree with Danielle! One thing I would add is,,, when she wakes up do not talk to her and do not take her out of the crib. Let her know you are there, but try and get her to settle herself. If she needs a sip of water because she is thirsty, that is fine but she shouldn't need milk in the night. Good luck...Check out Super Nanny! She has some great ideas about bedtime!

Danielle - posted on 01/27/2010

My doctor told us to put our daughter to bed earlier. (and don't worry about naps) the more rest they get the better they sleep. I know it sounds backwards but it does work. We have 3 children and it worked for us. If you rock her to sleep the 1st thing you need to do is contine rocking her but take her to her crib when she is just starting to fall asleep. Yes, you will have some crying at 1st but after a few days it will get better. I stood by the crib and patted then would sand in the door and then the hallway so she could hear be saying shhh shhhh shhh. It's worth your sanitiy to tough if out. A few days vs months. Go for a few tough days. Good luck.

Amy - posted on 01/26/2010

My son was a horrible sleeper, always wanted to be up where everyone else was. I got him into a little better of a rountine around 9 mos. First you probably don't want to associate sleep with eating, if he falls asleep with a bottle or sippy, or you put one in his crib, she's going to think she needs it to sleep. There for when she wakes up in the night thats what she'll want. What do you do in the middle of the night when she wakes up? Is she really awake or just fussing?
My son was 14 mos on the 9th. He usually doesn't go to bed 'til around 9:30, but it works for us. He gets up around 8-9, and thats fine, i'm home with him now, it will probably change when i go back to work.

our routine:
I bathe every other night around 7. babies skin needs its moisture, especially in the winter! (i live in maine, burr). Isaac gets really dry skin on his legs.
He'll play and cuddle with us downstairs, maybe watch a cartoon til 9-9:30. i make sure he has his sippy of milk while he plays. We go upstairs and brush his teeth, read a book, then lights out. We have a sea horse that plays light music that i turn on, that sooths him to sleep, and he loves his paci so i make sure he has that.

Its hard to give advice on your little one without more detail on your routine, especially finding out "why" she is waking.

Tiphanie - posted on 01/26/2010

Hi, my Son is 14 1/2 months and we do the following routine. Dinner at 5.00, TV off just music, bath time at 6.00, then bottle at 6.45 and bed at 7.00. I get him up at 7.00 the following morning and he has two naps in the day. Good luck, you deserve "me time". We have done that routine since he was about 6 weeks old and I have been very lucky that he has slept through since about 3 months.