do you have a set bedtime?

[Colesmom]

Hi there,

Just wondering whether everyone tries to put their lo down at around the same time every night.  We're battling short naps and just trying to implement a good sleeping routine in general.  Yesterday my lo went down at 6:10 after a 1.5 hr, 45 min. and 30 min. catnap.
Tonight he'll likely go down at 8, had a 1.5, 2.5 ( :shock: ) likely too long, and now a 45 min. cat nap...

when naps aren't consistent, how do you keep bedtime consistent?

thanks

Traci

[Tammy: Ethan & Kaden's Mom]

I definitely put my kiddo down around the same time every night.  It is usually around 7:30, can be as late as 8 (if he had super great naps that day), or as early as 7:15 (if he is super grumpy and had miserable naps).  I just found after some trial and error that that is just the best time for my ds.

Even if he didn't have a good nap day, I will still try and stretch him to at least 7:15 - so that means distraction by any means possible!  Right now I take him for a walk EVERY evening - he's as silent as a mouse when outside!  Any earlier than that, and he doesn't seem to sleep as well through the night.

The past few days have not been very pleasant, I think ds is finally *maybe* getting his first tooth, and he's been a grump all day long for the past few days.  That is not like him, so to keep myself sane, I'm telling myself there must be a reason for it.   :?  :wink: Plus, he's woken up screaming his head off a couple of times, which he only seems to do when in pain or something.   :cry:

I'm interested to see what other people say though.  I notice sometimes after I put ds to bed that the neighbors are outside with their kids (not much older than ds), around 8:30 or so, and I usually think how late that is!  My ds would have a meltdown before that time!

[Deb_in_oz]

both kids go to bed every night between 7-7:30.  the only thing we do different on short nap days is dd2 gets a quick dip in the tub instead of "bath time"

yesterday Olivia refused catnap and was up from 2:15 - 7:15 when she went to sleep. she was probably grumpy from 6-7 but still had fun in the bath and went down ok.  we do know that in her case the knock on effect can be - she is too tired to feed  well at this time and we watch her carefully (i WAS aiming to get her to bed earlier but Dh had a sudden work call and i had hiccups  :roll:  so she would not take the bottle from me while my body was moving - she is very picky - so i had to wait for him  :roll:   :roll:   :roll: )

the key to tretching them is to keep it as low key as possible - carry around with you a bit, sit with a stuffed toy, watch a calm DVD, singing lullabies, lookinng at trees blowing...

[Aarismom]

Yep, about the same time every night, although my pediatrician claims you can vary it about an hour. I base bedtime on the ending nap time...if she wakes from her last nap at 3, I usually put her down no later than 6 pm, as she won't take a nap in between there for some reason. I usually try and get a cat nap in between 3 and 4, as if it goes later than 4:15 she won't go down until after 7 when her bedtime is between 6 and 6:30. I'm not quite sure why.

Today was a pretty bad nap day...we've been dealing with 45 min naps lately, and last night she had a 13 hr. snooze fest (I put her down at 6 and she woke at 7). She took a 2 hr morning nap (that's 15 hours...that's really all the total sleep she needs, but she obviously can't make it thru the entire afternoon without at least an hour nap, she did have an 18 hour sleep day recently so she can do it), and I am sick today, so I missed her 1st jolt in the afternoon, and she woke from both afternoon naps I attempted at 30 mins. Not a very restful afternoon, and now we're paying for it at bedtime. *sigh*

Tomorrow's another day...

*HUGS*
Sonya =P

[GG]

Between 7 - 7:30 PM every night (with variation only if we go to a wedding or something where he can't sleep b/c of the noise).

[Colesmom]

don't you end up with a crazy overtired baby and have trouble putting them down?

of course, i had the opposite just now.  I think i put him down too early and it took two hours for him to settle :oops:   i just about lost it in there.

[Tammy: Ethan & Kaden's Mom]

Honestly, and I don't know if this is just my ds, but it seems irregardless of how long he has been up since his last nap, he is pretty darn easy to put down at bedtime.  I don't know if that's just him, or if it's the fact that we have the same exact bedtime routine every night, and that allows him to kind of *get* that it's bedtime. 

We always do dinner and bottle, then depending on what time it is, maybe a few minutes playing in the highchair, then bath, then diaper, lotion massage, then jammies, then I read Goodnight Moon.  Then I rock him for probably a couple of minutes till he gets droopy eyes, and pop him into his crib.  Sometimes he settles in 30 seconds, other times it's 10 or 15 minutes, but that's it.  And he's out. 

I don't know if it's our routine, or if he's just easy to put down (knock on wood and all fingers and toes crossed), at least right now!   :wink: 

[Deb_in_oz]

Colesmom - when olivia was 4 months or under -if she missed her catnap she was dreadful to put down at regular time.  between 4 1/2 - 6 mo it just got easier, but never ideal if she is up from 2pm - 7 especially since the rest of the day her awake time is only 2hrs - 2hr 20 .  i still offer the catnap every day because she onbly does a 45 min morning nap (no matter whatr i have tried to change) and a 1 1/2 hr midday nap (wakes up between 2 -2:15) so needs to have one to get the good sleep. if she "refuses" then i do whatever i can to keep her in her dark room in the cot for 45 min - 1 hr (usually from 4ish - 5pm)  so at least she is not being stimulated for that time.  and then i think because she is eating solids at 5 and starts her bottle at 6:30 then bath and then rest of bottle, there is a lot to distract her form the tiredness.  she also likes to watch whatever DVD her sister has on around 6pm as she seems to get chilled out by DVDs...

it is ever changing....and i am just holding out for when she can stay up for 3 hrs at a time bcause i think she will be better off.