Adjusting bedtime

groovylocks

If there is already a thread for this, just direct me. I didn't see it in the first three pages (but didn't use the search as I figured we could all use a revisit to this topic anyway)

Olive's bedtime has, since almost day one, been a firm 9pm. She more or less drives it but we have a routine that is very calming and loving that she enjoys and, so far, eases her into sleep. 

The last week or so, she's been getting really cranky around 7:30pm. And staying cranky, even during her 8pm bath, which she loves. 

She goes to bed anywhere between 8:30-9pm and the past week, she passes out within minutes. She's always settled well but never ever this well. 

Could her bedtime be too late? Is it time to push it back? And if so, do we do it gradually or suddenly? Thoughts?

ramfam2507

I would say to push it back and just go with it. Let her lead it. Start the bedtime routine as soon as you start seeing her getting fussy so she doesn't get overtired. I try to put Nico down around 8:30. When he wants to go to bed earlier than that, I let him. I also don't find him getting up more than the normal amount in the MOTN when he goes down early so I figure it isn't doing any harm and I get more free time! 

pupsicle23

I noticed the same thing with DD, so I've adjusted her bedtime. It's 7:45 and she's asleep. Last night, she was out by 8. Her evening crying is decreasing, and she still sleeps well. The only thing is that she might wake up at 4 to eat, when before she went to bed late enough that she wouldn't wake up until 6, when I'm up for the day anyway.  But it's worth it for happier evenings.  

The sleep book that I read also strongly recommends early bedtimes.

2winterbabies

Yes go with baby. My bedtime for Olivia is 9pm but at times she stays up a little later and sometimes goes to bed a little early. I just do what she does. It usually ends up the same way where she will wake up around the same time each morning. 

Holdmomma

My LO seems to have set his bedtime at about 6:30. He sleeps until 3 or 4, then eats and is out again until 5:30-6:30 am. (We are all up by 5:45 anyway because of work schedules).  I'm trying to get it a little later b/c I just went back to work and need my baby time before he goes to bed. 

I would take an early bedtime over fussiness until 9:00 pm though so I'm not really complaining. 

JulieK79

Lily used to go to bed at 9:00. At one point recently she started getting hungry/cranky at 7:30 so I did bedtime routine then and she m just kept sleeping. This has become her new bedtime. I definitely just went with what she was showing.

sharonholck28

My LO used to go down around 1130 but now we've gotten her in a routine where she starts a lot earlier. she usually starts getting fussy around 6 and usually by 7/730 we start her bedtime routine and she is down by 8/830 and will sleep either until 3/4am or sleep straight thru til 7/8

jkloeppel

Try an earlier bedtime. My LO goes to sleep at 6:30/7 most nights. When she goes to bed early, she tends to sleep longer. 

taysun

We start our routine around 6 now and she's usually asleep by 7 pm and she sleeps fairly solidly until 6 am with 2-4 short dream feeds (we bedshare). I then get a solid 7-10 nap in the morning most days where I get all my stuff done for the day. 
That bed time seems to be our sweet spot, any earlier and she's wide awake 2-4 and any later and she will fight sleep all night and then sleep all day. 
I suggest trying out the earlier bed time for a few nights and seeing how it works. If it doesn't work, adjust again. 

sassypants13

This is our sweet girl too. As a newborn she was up until 10-12 someone but now she starts fussing for bedtime between 7 and 7:30pm. Went to sleep at 8pm lady night and slept until 7am. She seems to rest better and longer with the earlier bedtime. 
I say follow baby's lead! It's sad to get less time with my sweet girl at night but she's happier and well rested

millieb14

Wow reading this I am trying an earlier bedtime tonight! Right now it's 930-1030, up around 5 or 6 for feed, then up again at 9. I'd love to have my evenings back as she is still often fussy at night. May be her sign that earlier bedtime is in order. 

groovylocks

Yeah we are going to push it all back an hour tonight and see how that goes. Thanks everybody!

misamima

Yep, it sounds like she wants to adjust to an earlier bedtime. I would try it out tonight and see how it goes. 

We're still working with a 9:30-10:30pm bedtime here. Can't wait to move it up because we'd like to have an earlier bedtime ourselves. 

JackJacktheCat

Soph was going to bed pretty regularly around 9 or 10 after her bedtime routine. Two days ago she fell asleep at 6:30 and at 10:30 we woke her up to give her a bath & do the bedtime routine. I thought maybe this meant she needed an earlier bedtime. Last night we started her bedtime routine an hour and a half earlier, and she was asleep by 7:30. She woke up at 8:30 and we had to start all over. She didn't go back to bed until almost 10. So I think we moved it back to drastically. I'm going to try going 15 min at a time now. 

Taylovesbrad

I would like to move up miles bed time too. He is also solid 9 am.
He has been waking up alot after 2 though not to eat just for a pacifier. I'm considering doing a dream fed at 10 when I go to bed. Maybe then he would do a longer stretch. Then waking him up at 7. I need more sleep! He was doing so well and now not so good lol

thatgirlree24

Yeah I agree with pps. My LO's bedtime was around 8:30-9p but lately he's been going to bed around 7:30p. It works for me because I just went back to work on Monday and I need all the sleep I can get since I have to be up by 6am and out of the house with three kids by 7am!

groovylocks

So. Little snag. Her uncle showed up five minutes before adjusted bedtime. I didn't tell him we were trying this and I adore her uncle - he's a great friend and Olive loves him. So we let her stay up to visit with him. But she was still in bed by 8:30, no demanding to be picked up and held again (happens often at a 9pm bedtime) and wasn't fussy for as long before she went down.  She just farted now. Snored for a second. Silence. She's in deep sleep, people. 

If we can get her down by 8pm every night, I'll be happy. 

breezypip

Same here. She started getting really fussy every night around 8:00 and I finally took the hint and tried putting her to bed... Out like a light with almost no effort. Not only that, she is sleeping longer. 

groovylocks

Poor little soul.. i kind of feel bad we kept her up too late for as long as we did. She was fussing at bedtime for some time now. Pulled bedtime back to 8:30? Goes right to sleep, sleeps till 4. 

Our entire house deserved better than i gave it... ugh.

dmendo01

I've been putting DD down between 8 and 8:30 for a while now but sometimes I wonder if she wants to go even earlier. She was out by 8 tonight. I can't bring myself to do earlier yet though because I don't even get off until 5 so that's just too little time with her and I'm being selfish. 

taysun

groovylocks said:

Poor little soul.. i kind of feel bad we kept her up too late for as long as we did. She was fussing at bedtime for some time now. Pulled bedtime back to 8:30? Goes right to sleep, sleeps till 4. 

Our entire house deserved better than i gave it... ugh.

Don't beat yourself up for not realizing. It's hard to figure out babies sometimes and it doesn't help that fussing can be because of pretty much anything. Babies don't come with instructions.