Bedtime Problems - Any Suggestions?

[squeaky's mum]

Hi, My little girl, Sophie, is generally very good with her sleep but we have developed a persistant difficulty. For the last 2 months I have had to help her to sleep for her bedtime sleep (between 6 and 7pm). This can take me up to an hour. 

Sophie is nearly 6 months old and has been on a routine since she was 3.5 months. She wakes at 7am, naps at 9am and 1pm (1-1.5 hours each time) and feeds at 7.15, 11, 3pm, 6pm. At about 5pm she starts getting fussy, rubbing her eyes and grizzling so we start to get her ready for bed. I then feed her, and put her to bed. I then leave her for 10 minutes to see if she will settle herself which she invariably doesn't. I then take the next hour or so to get her to sleep by patting her and singing to her (Sh'ing stopped working)

She can get herself to sleep for her naps so I am lost as to why she doesn't go to sleep in the early evening. Any help/suggestions would be gratefully received. After 2 months of this I am really in need of a change.

Many Thanks

Claire

[jessmum]

Hi There,

Am not sure if this will help but wondered if perhaps she is in need of a short nap at around 4.30 - 5.00. Just a cat nap to keep her going till bed time. It seems an awful long time to be awake from 2ish till 7 and perhaps she is so tired by this time is finding it hard to get to sleep as overtired??
If she goes down for naps well she might just go down at this time for a quick nap.
HTH
Jen

[jswerczek]

Hi Claire- I agree with Jen, maybe she just nees a short nap and then when bedtime comes around she will be settle on her own. My ds is 6.5 mo. and can only stay up about 2.25-2.5 hours at a time so when he wakes from his afternoon nap, he is ready for a catnap between 5-6 pm. Maybe Sophie is staying up a bit too long and is overtired at the time you are trying to put her down. I know that when my little one is overtired he is tough to settle

We have a little later bedtime than you, but if you wanted to stick to say 7 p.m. for bedtime, than Sophie could take a catnap (half hour to 45 min. long) around 4:30 or 5 p.m. Then you she could have her last feeding at 6 p.m., do her bedtime routine and be in bed by 7 p.m.

Hope this helps!

[squeaky's mum]

Thank you Jan and Jennifer for your help. I have always found it difficult to get Sophie to sleep in her cot at this time, but instead I have started taking her for a walk between 4 and 5 during which she sleeps for about 1/2 an hour. I get to go for a walk too which can ony be a good thing.

It seems to be working, last night Sophie took 10 minutes to get to sleep, then slept all the way through from her dream feed to 6.45 am. She has also returned to sleeping for 1hr 30m for her day time naps. Our sleep bank is full again.

Thanks

Claire

[beccarman]

sounds like its working...just to add that dd also needed a bit of a sleep late afternoon to stop her getting overtired by 7pm, she grew out of this  after a few months but it made bed time much more bearable!!
hope things keep going well.
xxx

[jessmum]

Hi Claire

I think it is quite common for babies to have trouble sleeping in their cots in the late afternoon/early evening! Thats why you see so many people pushing prams at this time!!! I also think it is good for babies (and mums) to get the fresh air and be able to take some naps out of their cot.
Hope it continues to go well
Jen