transitioning to new bedtime

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

My DS ( 9 weeks old) has been going to bed between 10-10:30 for awhile. I am trying to get him on a time schedule to help his daytime sleep. I am trying to get him to sleep by at 8-8:30. We are on a 3 hour EASY. His last nap is from 5-6 which is a cat nap.

My problem is, he is a crab pants from 6 until bedtime. No matter how hard I try to get him to bed earlier, he ends up sleeping at 10! I am gradually moving his bed time up in 15 min increments, but what do I do until then. He becomes very overtired by 10, but I am afraid to let him sleep anymore in the evening. Help!

[sara_derek]

My ds did that at 9 weeks to.  I couldn't get him to catnap to save my life!  But then he went to bed at 8:00 so it wasn't too bad.  I used to get him to sleep for a catnap by going for a drive or walking him in the stroller for a bit in early evening. It helped me through the next couple of weeks until he grew out of it.  Keep moving up his bed time and do whatever you can to help him change his internal clock.  4 hours is WAY too long for a 9 week old to be awake straight - no wonder he is crabby!

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

I cant seem to get him to budge on the 10 bedtime. I have been trying to move it up by 15 min increments, but it is not working. He still ends up falling asleep at 10! Are there any other ways I can do this?

[sara_derek]

Why don't you post your typical schedule for me for a day.

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

This is the schedule I am trying implement (tracy's book suggestion). So far it has worked out pretty well except the A gets progressively shorter (not a lot, but some) because he is only taking 45 min naps.


E 7am
a 7:30- 7:45
S 8:30 (usually 45 min nap which I have been trying to extend)

E 10 am
A 1:30-1:45 (I try to extend this time as much as possible but as the day progresses he becomes more tired. His 45 min are not much help)
S 11:30 (45min)

E 1pm
A 1:30-1:45 (gets to about an hour long)
S 2:30 (45min)

E 4pm
S 5 or 6pm (or Somewhere in between. Catnap about 40 min)
* He is very cranky and needs a nap by about 45 min of awake time. This is a tough nap to take. he is usally very tired. We are lucky if we get this nap.

E 7pm
A bath
*By this time he is sooo overtired! The rest of the night is miserable!

S 7:30 Bedtime (He is up 30 to 45 min later and wakes up very cranky)

*Then I try to put him to sleep from here out. I will usually feed him at 9:30 ish to help him relax. We will work on sleeping, but ultimately he will falls asleep for good at 10!

One of the biggest prob. we have is 45 min naps, they are ruining his day. I have tried putting him back to sleep when he wakes up at 45 min, but he is so crabby. It is almost impossible.

[sara_derek]

Ok, I have some suggestions.   After he wakes from his catnap at 6:40 or so, I would keep things VERY low key.  I would snuggle him when he wakes up, then get him ready for his bath.  Give him his bath, a little massage in a darkened and warm room, then into jammies.  Then I would feed him the last feed before bed RIGHT before you put him down so when he goes into his crib he is good and ready.  If he wakes 45 minutes later, go in, pat him or do whatever he responds well to. You may have to pick him up and get him completely drowsy again then put him back in the crib almost asleep, if not completely asleep at this age.  Keep doing that until he stays there.  I would stick to this schedule every night for a week at least.  Do not stray fro mit.  His internal clock should be adjusting by that time. 

His awake time at 9 weeks should be no more than an hour.  I think he is getting overtired and thus his body is having a hard time shutting down and staying down.  The more over tired they are, the less sleep they get.  I would watch his sleepy signs very closely and try to get him in bed no more than an hour after he wkes.  Forty-five minute naps are killers, so be consistent with trying to extend them.  I think if you catch him in the right window it will help.  You might try going in a little before he wakes to settle him back to sleep at that 45 minute mark.  I don't know what you're trying but that seemed to help my lo.

Hope these suggestions help!  Keep me posted

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

Thank you sooo much! I will keep you posted!

[gracecody]

Can you let me know too how this worked?  I just PM'ed you because we are having the exact same problem and guess how old my baby is -- 9 wks, going on 10!  This has been going on for about 2 weeks despite our best efforts.  I also have problems with short naps but usually he has two naps of an hour or more and one that's about 45 min., and then the cat nap in the evening, which is usually tough to get him down for.

Our main problem in the evenings is that he's such a bear to get down with the shh/pat method at that time that I have usually started nursing him mostly or totally asleep and then shhhh'ing him in his bed until he's totally asleep...faithfully every night he will spit up 15 min to 30 min after going to sleep and wake up crying.  If he spits up at other times during the night it does not wake him, just during this initial stretch.  We have him on an incline and place him on his side supported by a rolled up blanket.   Once he falls asleep for the night (usually 11pm) he tends to sleep well, lately a nearly 6-hour stretch.