Consistent wake time?

[georgeo]

Hi
Since finding BW we have followed lo's sleep signs and as he got older activity times as well. This means that we also let him sleep until he wakes up in the morning and usually for his nap too.  However I'm wondering if it would be better for him if he had more consistent times in his life. I wonder if setting a maximum wake up time for mornings and naps. I think going with set times won't work well for him as if he is UT it doesn't work well.

My fear is that OT will set in if we don't let him sleep until he naturally wakes up in the morning. The flip side is his times tend to slowly but surely gets late and he ends up having a 9 hr night which isn't ideal but also isn't the end of the world. It's mainly if teething or something has resulted in his having a bad night and then we let him sleep. Also over time he wakes later and later and then ends up having a short night.

Bit or a ramble! What would/do you do?

WWYD?

[~*Nicole*~]

We've not usually had too much trouble with wake time....as DD generally always woke within the same period of time so didn't throw our day off much. When she did sleep late it was usually do to crazy NWs or illness or whatever and then I'd let her b/c she needed to catch up anyway.

BUT for naptime....we'd often cap the nap and make sure it ended by a certain time to preserve bedtime and try to get a consistent and good length of night sleep. That did help a lot.

HTH.

[*Becky*]

We have a start time for the day which is 7am. DS is normally awake before that but I do wake him if not but that is because he still needs a nap and if he gets too much night sleep he will either refuse the nap or more likely bedtime will end up being late and he does not do well on late bedtimes.
If he did not need a nap then I would let him sleep as long as he liked.

[*Jo*]

we have a set wake time. Calebs lamp is set to turn on at 7am, then he comes into my room and jumps into bed with me for cuddles in the dark for about half an hour which is a lovely way to start the day. I have found if he wakes any later then his day is so "off" that naptime becomes difficult, in fact the whole day becomes extremely difficult, so it makes sense for us that we have a set time, as much as i would love a sleep in (the day after the earhtquake i let him sleep till 8am!) it just wont be happening anytime soon

[georgeo]

Thanks for your advice. It's the days when he has had a crazy nightwake (thankfully this does not happen much anymore) but shortening the nap would fix that.