WWYD? Naps and bedtime

99frontier

We have been trying to find the right bedtime for LO to no avail. So, I think I want to aim for sometime in the 7:00 hour. If I follow the "don't keep baby up more than 2 hours or they will become overtired", then his last nap would need to end between 5-6.

So here's what happened today... LO's naps (which are not scheduled...we take them as they come) made his last one end at 3:40. He was not ready for a nap until 5:40. Should I have put him down for this nap (it'll be short - he usually does 30-45 min naps) and allow him to go to bed later (probably 8-8:30ish) or should I have kept him up and put him to bed around 5:40ish? Or should I ignore the 2 hour rule and try to keep him up longer? 

Input is appreciated!  

cedenton

Every baby is going to be different, but here is us...

Baby is usually ready to take a nap around 5:30 and i encourage it. He naps for 3060 minutes and then we do bedtime routine, feeding and bed. Asleep somewhere in the 7:00 hour.

lupineaura

Nap and keep your normal bedtime. Sometimes a short nap before bed sets them up for a good night. Good luck!

CLeigh03

Every baby is different but Beckett is down to just two naps...he is up from his last nap around 3 and bedtime is around 6:30 or 7. I don't think the 2 hour rule works for all babies, follow the cues for awhile to figure out the magic window.

CLeigh03

CLeigh03:

Every baby is different but Beckett is down to just two naps...he is up from his last nap around 3 and bedtime is around 6:30 or 7. I don't think the 2 hour rule works for all babies, follow the cues for awhile to figure out the magic window.

I should say this is most days...occasionally we get a power nap out of him that is brief. Really depends on the day.

JayandEmm

Ds can't stay up for 2 hours, only about 80/90 minutes. His last nap is around 6:30, wakes sometime after 7, and is asleep for bedtime around 8:30.

allardr

I would not keep LO up longer before bed, I've found for us it only makes it harder because LO will fall asleep while eating last meal then and will wake up shortly after being put down to eat more.

We put LO down after 2 hours of awake time. I cut last nap off at 5pm at latest. If her last nap ends between 4-5pm then we start bedtime routine at 6pm. Lately she wakes from her last nap at 3pm. This puts me in a pickle since she'd be due for a nap at 5pm but I cut her off from naps at that time. Rather than keep her up for 3+ hours I start bedtime routine then at 5/5:15. This works great for us though I do admit on those early to bed nights she wakes up at like 6:30am vs. 7:30am which kind of is a drag. But I have plenty of night time to myself. 

LoveLo2010

We went through this exact thing yesterday. Lo naps as they come since she use to take 30 min naps and is now stretching them out so were still getting use to things, but last night she woke early and would've needed at nap at like 6 or 630 she seemed great so we decided to keep her up. Good lord was that the wrong decision. She was such a crank and so over tired it made bed time a mess. Even if I would've put her down for her nap I still would've put her to bed at the same time about 8 I don't push that back by more than 30 mins even if she has a late nap.

Reilly626

Mine nap! They eat 6 am-7am (in there) digest, play, nap- repeat 12 pm, repeat, 4 pm repeat they nap around 6pm then feed at 8 pm and straight to bed!

sdlaura

DD is capable of a slightly longer awake stretch prior to bedtime - 2.5-3 hours, whereas during the day she never goes more than 2.  That said, we don't try to keep her awake, so if she wants a nap right before bedtime, she takes a nap and bedtime still happens at the same time (bath at 6:45 pm, bottle at 7, asleep by 7:30).

Manda-Kay

DS always takes a nap before bed. I like to aim for starting our bedtime routine at 7 so he can be in bed by 8. Because he's in daycare, I have no control over his daytime schedule but I make sure his last bottle before his bedtime bottle is no later than 5:15 so his bedtime bottle is no later than 7:45.

katiem1025

While trying to set a bedtime I rec watching the baby not the clock. If Lo seems awake even though its been two plus hours, keep them up.

Avery's third nap ends by 430/ 5 in order for her to be in bed by 645 or 7. If she wakes up way earlier I usually adjust her bedtime earlier. Or run an errand with her so she gets a tiny catnap,

Eta: Avery sttn from 77 most nights, well aside from durin the 4 month wakeful bs.

CoUnTryBB1

Ever since someone posted about better napping leads to better sleeping we have been trying hard to get her naps in. Doesn't matter if they are later and push back bed time. She sleeps better at night when we do this. Also we stick to a routine even if it's not the same time. Once we started this she sttn much better.