Going out for the evening

[happy2bamum]

I just wanted to ask you all whether you make changes to your usual routine when you have to go out with your toddler for dinner and they wont be going to bed at their normal time? (either to a restaurant or to someone's house but mainly to someone's house as we don't tend to take DD to restaurants when we go)

We have had a lot of social outings at night lately and I have found that they have really thrown our routine out as DD isn't one to go to sleep in her pram or in a port a cot or anything. She ends up going to bed later than usual and then starts the usual EWs or NWs even if she has been going great guns on that front for a while. Even 15 minutes later bedtime than usual is enough to throw her off.

So I was wondering if I should try to make changes to her usual routine during the day when I know we are heading out for the night. Currently she is napping around 1.5 hours from approx 11:30am after a 6am wake up for the day. Then she goes to bed at around 6:45 - 7pm for the evening. Any ideas?

Or has anyone got any tricks up their sleeve for getting their LO to sleep whilst out and about at night?

[mum101]

My little is fairly easy with routine changes, but one thing I do is to put her down for her midday nap later, or to do something i know will help her sleep longer, such as putting her in her 'super-suit- for nighttime.  Then she can handle being up later.

[Layla]

Sorry not much help from me. I have only ever taken Isabella out past her bedtime about 2 times (and it was only 1hr delayed). I am honestly a freak when it comes to keeping her up past bedtime cause she might start the nw's and ew's as well & I don't want to be up with her and then risk her crying waking the baby up as well. So I usually call my mum and arrange for her to babysit. I don't think she would fall asleep to be honest even if we went out, unless maybe it would have been midnight and she would have crashed. I think all you can do is "try" and get her to have a much later nap so that the awake times before bedtime is not that long. Or take the portacot, do your usual routine and hope she will nod off....

[happy2bamum]

We tend to go to my parents about once a week for dinner and even though DD gets to bed by 8pm I find that she is a bit out of sorts for a few days or so afterwards.

We've got my niece's birthday dinner tomorrow night. Feel bad that we are always rushing off to get DD home to bed.

Mum101-if you put your LO down later in the day for her nap, is she then OT? I just find that when I try to make DD's nap later, she only sleeps 40 minutes because she is "past it" by that stage.

[mum101]

Hi happy2bamum, no she is quite OK and sleeps for the same time or longer. I think it's just luck that she's easy going. 

Since about 1 years old, she will be happy to go to sleep at different times and she can be overtired or not quite tired enough, but as long as I do a good pre-sleep calm down she is good. 

I'd say the only time she finds it hard to sleep is if we don't pay enough attention to her for the morning!  We've twice found her very wired and very difficult when we've been ignoring her and racing around doing a spring-clean and DYI jobs before a family invasion.

[Layla]

I know what you mean about rushing home, etc.. Dh & I came to an agreement that if its a birthday or we have to visit family, we'll do it during the day with the kids (lunch rather than dinner). If its a party then we all go during the day, I come back home and put them to sleep and go back to the party. Sounds like alot of messing about but I'd still rather that....

I have been able to push Isabella to about 1pm so far and she did show signs of OT by waking at night or being cranky the next day but its still better than having a very long stretch before bedtime (imo).

Mum101 - I want your baby, lol!!! Isabella is fairly good as well but I don't think I'd get her sleeping anywhere but her cot or at different times. Jasmine.... if you keep her awake past her bedtime (be it 15mins) I pay for it for a few days as well....

[meggie79]

I am so glad I stumbled upon this thread.  My 13m/o DD usually goes to sleep at 7:30pm.  Two nights ago, we had her out until 9pm, thinking everything would be okay, because she was pleasant the whole time.  However, when we got home, we had another thing coming.  It took us almost 2 hours to get her to sleep, and tonight it took 3.25 hrs. to get her to sleep.  Can anyone tell me how long I can expect her to be off track?

[*Natasha*]

Last night we took DD out for dinner for the first time past her bedtime. She was fantastic got a little cranky at around 8.30pm but dessert arrived then so all was forgotten. we finally got her home at 9.30pm straight to bed and sleep (normal bedtime is 7.30/45pm). 1 brief NWing last night BUT it was the first night in her new room and she is teething and she slept till 8am (usually up around 7ish). I wouldn't do it everyday but i think once in a while is fine. However my DD is a little older than yours and an Angel toddler.

[Layla]

I am so glad I stumbled upon this thread.  My 13m/o DD usually goes to sleep at 7:30pm.  Two nights ago, we had her out until 9pm, thinking everything would be okay, because she was pleasant the whole time.  However, when we got home, we had another thing coming.  It took us almost 2 hours to get her to sleep, and tonight it took 3.25 hrs. to get her to sleep.  Can anyone tell me how long I can expect her to be off track?

It really only takes a few days to get back on track if she is generally well rested.

[Carmela's Mom]

I am 100% in the minority here, but since birth, we've put both our children to sleep in the pack n' play at various family member or friends' homes.  They fall asleep around their bedtime (sometimes a little later), then we wake them to put them in the car and they fall back asleep in the car and then again when we put them in the crib.  Normally the next day they are more tired than normal, but in a day or two they are back to normal.  Since we did it since birth, they just kind of know the drill.  I will say that I let my 3 year old stay up most of the time way past her bedtime and we get back on track faster now as well (with a later waking in the morning and a good nap the next day).