Do you wake LO at the same time every day?

Caz1221 · January 2014

Up until now, I've let LO wake when she wants in the morning. Depending on when she goes to bed (bedtime is 8 pm and moving towards 7:30 pm, but she sometimes takes a while to actually go down) and how the night goes, she gets up anywhere between 6 am and 8:30 am and takes her AM nap a couple hours later.

Once I'm back at work (in a few weeks), we will need to wake her around 6:30 am every weekday. I'm wondering if I should start getting her used to a consistent wake up time now (perhaps waking her at 7:30 am for several days and gradually moving back to 6:30 am).

Do you wake your LO at the same time every day? Weekdays and weekends? What time is bedtime, and what time do you wake LO up?

rfrazier611 · January 2014

He usually wakes himself up between 7 and 7:30, but if he didn't, I absolutely would get him up no matter what day. He seems to be happier, better rested, and naps much more easily when he's on a consistent schedule. Bedtime is always right after bath at 7, so he's usually down but not necessarily asleep by 7:30/7:45.

PB102012 · January 2014

LO is up between 5 and 6 every morning. If we have to go to the sitter's I wake her up by 5:40 if she's not up already.

roxpink · January 2014

LO goes to bed around 8pm. She wakes up around 7:30am every morning.

EricaLee2013 · January 2014

I always wake her at 6:30 every work day but let her sleep till whenever she wants on the weekend. She goes to bed between 6:45 and 7:15 every night no matter the day.

The time change worked in our favor right as I went back to work so we didn't have to change her schedule much at all.

Speshul · January 2014

I wake her the same time during the week. On weekends I let her sleep in...even though she doesn't always. I'm thinking I should wake, feed, and put her back down on the weekends.

alexkylee · January 2014

She wakes up at 700 every day. There are rare times when she wakes up at 630 or 645. She goes to bed around 8 or 830. Her gastro told us we have to give her 7 bottles a day so it's usually after the last one. If she's at home she'll take a 2 to 3 hour nap at 800 or 830. If she's at daycare her naps are shorter.

sfeebs13 · January 2014

Now I'm feeling like maybe my LO sleeps too much and something is wrong..

She usually doesn't wake up until 9:30. I don't really like her to sleep later than that, but some days and weekends she just might. She goes to "bed" between 7-9 depending on how her mood is & how long it gets me to put her down.

Speshul · January 2014

sfeebs13 said:

Now I'm feeling like maybe my LO sleeps too much and something is wrong..
She usually doesn't wake up until 9:30. I don't really like her to sleep later than that, but some days and weekends she just might. She goes to "bed" between 7-9 depending on how her mood is & how long it gets me to put her down.

Not at all! Last weekend she slept until 8 and 9. One glorious time she slept until 11!!

roxpink · January 2014

sfeebs13 said:
Now I'm feeling like maybe my LO sleeps too much and something is wrong..
She usually doesn't wake up until 9:30. I don't really like her to sleep later than that, but some days and weekends she just might. She goes to "bed" between 7-9 depending on how her mood is & how long it gets me to put her down.

Nope! Totally normal! My DD1 is still a sleeper. She needs her sleep and loves it!

AACaHa13 · January 2014

Dh and I realized we were keeping lo awake way too long in the evenings so we started putting him to bed at 6:15. He sleeps until 6, I go in, rub his back, diaper change and then he goes back down until 8. I don't really wake him up, but I'm reading this book I highly recommend, Healthy Sleep, Happy Child. It really helps with trying to help with getting baby on a routine/sleep schedule. In the book it says, Baby should be up for the day between 6-8 am and in bed around 6-8 pm. At this age, a nap around one hour to two hours after waking up, one sometime between 12-2pm and one between 3-5pm. It has helped so much going by this guide!

kkay1982 · January 2014

We let LO sleep, but we also don't have to take him to DC. I do usually wake him up at 5:30 to eat when I get up and then get him back to sleep and then get ready for work. After that he'll wake up anytime between 7-9 but usually closer to 9.

rfrazier611 · January 2014

AACaHa13 said:

Dh and I realized we were keeping lo awake way too long in the evenings so we started putting him to bed at 6:15. He sleeps until 6, I go in, rub his back, diaper change and then he goes back down until 8. I don't really wake him up, but I'm reading this book I highly recommend, Healthy Sleep, Happy Child. It really helps with trying to help with getting baby on a routine/sleep schedule. In the book it says, Baby should be up for the day between 6-8 am and in bed around 6-8 pm. At this age, a nap around one hour to two hours after waking up, one sometime between 12-2pm and one between 3-5pm. It has helped so much going by this guide!

I have that book too and it's awesome!!! Our naps are finally back on track. Nights still suck like 75% of the time, but once he's better rested from better naps I'm sure nights will follow.

carrotcake06 · January 2014

I let them sleep as long as they want.

Bedtime for all kiddos in my house is between 8-9pm. The big one gets a bath every night and the babies every other night. Sometime between 715-8pm we start baths depending on how many need bathing that evening.

I nurse the babies, H reads books to the big one and then lights out all around.

The babies have been waking twice to eat - usually between 10-12midnight and again 4-6am. If the babies wake before 6am to eat, they get put back in bed. The big one has a clock that turns green at 640am and he "isn't allowed" to get up before then.

Today the babies ate at 5am and went back to sleep. They were just stirring at 8am when I left for work (I pumped before I left). Usually, they're up between 7-730a and I'll feed them before I leave, but I'm not going to wake them if I don't need to. It's a perk to having someone watch the babies at our house, IMO.

Snowbird7 · January 2014

We often have to wake our LO up at 6 to get ready for work during the weekdays. On the weekends, he'll frequently wake up around 6:30. Once in a lucky blue moon, he'll sleep til 8 or so on a weekend day.

We usually let him sleep wherever/whenever he wants to, with the exception of evening naps (that are too close to bedtime).

magdalina.h · January 2014

During the week, she wakes up between 5:30 and 6:30. On the weekends it's between 6:30-7:30

MommyBolty · January 2014

LO wakes up between 5:30-6:30 everyday. I adjust my morning routine based on when she wakes up

nnikki10 · January 2014

For work I wake her up at 540 for the sitters. On the weekends I let her sleep as long as she would like. It's usually no later than 830-9. She is usually down by 815ish.

NikkiD522 · January 2014

Wait.. you ladies have to wake your LO up? It's the other way around in our house ;-)

DS normally is awake at the ass crack of dawn... he's consistent with it, I'll give him that!

MommyAmes2 · January 2014

I wake her at 7am on weekdays. We leave at 7:40 to take my oldest two to school. She is usually up at 6:30 on her own though. On weekends I let her sleep, but she never sleeps past 7. She is in bed between 8-9, depends on the kids practice schedules (how late we are out).

Bunnyfer · January 2014

Due to our odd working schedules, I let LO wake up when she is ready. She usually goes to sleep somewhere in the range of 9:30-11p, depending on the night. She wakes up in the range of 7:30-10a. So it all works out. I usually dont go to bed till 2a, so I love the late mornings. This morning she woke up at 9:50, and just laid next to me in bed babbling while I snoozed another 20 min...

karabear11 · January 2014

LO been getting up at 5 since starting daycare. If she goes back to sleep I get her up at 545. She pretty much set her own schedule. She is also in bed by 6. I would love for her to sleep in on my days off but so far she has been consistent with the 5 am wake up.

Eta:fixed words

Bunnyfer · January 2014

@KatieS7 Thank you....I took like 50 pictures during the shoot. She was willing, and they came out so cute.

MommyKristin88 · January 2014

He goes to sleep between 7:30-8:30. He wakes up between 5:00-6:30, depending on what time he went to sleep and how loud we are getting ready in the morning. He has to be up by 6:45 during the week, but we never have to wake him. He sticks to the same schedule on the weekend.

WildRumpus · January 2014

My child doesn't sleep, so I take whatever I can get whenever I can get it. He usually goes down between 8:30-9, and is up every 2 to 2 1/2 hours from then on, up for the day around 7, then back down for a nap around 9 or 9:30.

rooftop · January 2014

DD usually wakes up within 5 mins of 8 45 so if she oversleeps i assume she needs it. If she's still not awake by 9 30 i wake her up and we're back on schedule by her nap at 10 30

nittanygirl28 · January 2014

We put him to bed every night between 8-8:30 and he usually wakes around 7. If he's not up by 7:15 on a work day we have to wake him up for timing purposes. On the weekends we let him sleep in. He usually wakes around 7:30 and we listen to him as he "talks" to himself and keeps himself happy for a bit before we go get him. He makes the cutest sounds!!!!!

AACaHa13 · January 2014

@rfrazier611- we are the opposite! Naps are Terrible. It's always hit or miss. I don't know what to do anymore. He can barely stay awake for an hour and a half so we never make it to the two hour waketime between naps! We've moved his bedtime up thinking that would help but it didn't. How did you get the nap routine going? Which method etc?

mommabmb · January 2014

lil man set his own schedule- he's always down by 845 and gets up at 6. You could set your watch by it.

rfrazier611 · January 2014

AACaHa13 said:

@rfrazier611- we are the opposite! Naps are Terrible. It's always hit or miss. I don't know what to do anymore. He can barely stay awake for an hour and a half so we never make it to the two hour waketime between naps! We've moved his bedtime up thinking that would help but it didn't. How did you get the nap routine going? Which method etc?

I started with morning nap, and started the soothing to sleep process about an hour an a half after he woke up, as soon as he started looking a little out of it, just like the book says. Then I put him down full, dry, and sleepy in his swing and left. The first time he complained for 59 minutes and it was AWFUL to listen to, but then he fell asleep and slept for 2 hours. It was hard for me not to go to him, but I've noticed in the last couple weeks that the more times I go to soothe him and replace his binky once he's been put down to nap, the more frustrated and overtired he gets. The next nap rolled around and I started soothing as soon as he started to look a little dreamy, and that time he was asleep in 30 minutes. The next nap he was asleep in 7 minutes. Each nap since then he has fallen asleep quietly chirping and talking to himself with no fussing whatsoever. I think the biggest thing I have taken from it so far is When in doubt, put them down earlier. I put my guy to bed almost an hour early tonight so we'll see what happens...

There's no reason that LO HAS to be up for 2 hours. If he's tired at an hour and a half, start soothing at an hour and see what happens. Good luck! I'll be thinking of you.

Carnation77 · January 2014

My LO almost always wakes up before we would like (4 or 5 am). Then he eats and "usually" goes back down for a nap and after that I do wake him (if he's not already up again) at 6:30 to get ready to leave for daycare/work.

His bedtime is usually 8 pm (although tonight he was really tired so he went down at 7:30 pm). He does normally get up early on the weekends too but once he goes down for his morning nap on the weekends we let him (and us) sleep as long as he likes! Sometime he makes it till 7:30 am. Other times he decides 5 am is the time to start the day and I'm chugging caffeine in the living room at 5:30 am while he rolls around on his blanket and talks up a storm.

I'm a big advocate of keeping things on a pretty consistent schedule. If your LO is used to sleeping later right now I think starting to get him onto the new schedule gradually is a good idea. If LO is going to daycare, you might also want to find out what kind of schedule he'll be following there and incorporate that at the same time. I do reading and music times at the same time at home on the weekends as he does at daycare during the week. He's more receptive then because he's used to it at that time. Good luck!

AACaHa13 · January 2014

Rfrazier611- that is great! Thanks for the tips! I love the book!! I read that with the early bedtime, the nights get better first and then the naps will. Hoping the naps will start to fall into place. I have been consistent with the soothing for naps so hopefully that will work. Do you go by sleeping cues daily? Or does your lo go down at the same time everyday for each nap ? Also, sometimes since his naps are short and are about every hour and a half, he takes like 4 naps throughout the day! I just need some kind of predictable schedule lol.

LiylaRae · January 2014

No. She is my alarm clock. Everyday, she wakes up at 6. I wish it was a little later though.

rfrazier611 · January 2014

AACaHa13 said:

Rfrazier611- that is great! Thanks for the tips! I love the book!! I read that with the early bedtime, the nights get better first and then the naps will. Hoping the naps will start to fall into place. I have been consistent with the soothing for naps so hopefully that will work. Do you go by sleeping cues daily? Or does your lo go down at the same time everyday for each nap ? Also, sometimes since his naps are short and are about every hour and a half, he takes like 4 naps throughout the day! I just need some kind of predictable schedule

I'm still figuring it out, so for now I look for sleep cues, but if I haven't seen any by 1.5 hours of being awake in the morning, I start soothing. For the afternoon, I've been able to catch his cues most of the time so I'm not totally dependent on the clock.

Last night, I put him to bed between 6:30 and 6:45 (don't remember) and he slept til 3:40! And then he slept until 7 and woke up happier than he's ever woken up. Here's hoping that wasn't an accident!

AACaHa13 · January 2014

Rfrazier611- Yay!! Hoping it wasn't an accident either! Good luck figuring out naps, I will be doing the same!

janneann1127 · January 2014

We don't wake him at a certain time. He goes down between 6:30 - 7 PM every night. For a while there, he was sleeping till 7:30 AM. But lately, it's been more like 630 AM. I probably wouldn't let him sleep past 8, but I doubt that's ever going to happen. He's an early bird like his brother.

Typically he goes down for a nap between 8:30–9. Naps have been very difficult with this child, mostly because we are on the road doing preschool pick up and drop off at his ideal nap times 3 days a week. He tends to fall asleep in the car seat and then I just transfer him inside. But then when we aren't on the go and he has to nap in the crib, there is a lot of protesting. Sigh.. But that's a whole other Oprah.

TrueBeliever925 · January 2014

I wake up during the week between 5:30 and 5:45, so he's up for a feeding during the week at that time. I let him hang out in his jumper for about an hour and he goes back down for another couple of hours until DH and him are up for the day. Bedtime is anywhere from 9:00-10:00, but he'll also take an hour to hour and a half nap around 6 pm most days. We're definitely more night people, so this works for us.

ludali · January 2014

Since we have to get off to day card 5 days a week, we try to keep a consistent wake up time. DD had a bad sleeping stretch and she'd be up any time between 5 and 6. In a perfect world, I'd be waking her up at 7...and that worked so well the first few months. Recently, she's been stirring on her own around 6:30 because of noise throughout our tiny condo...

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