Awake time before Bed

[M and N's Mom]

Do most lo's have more or less A time at the end of the day?  Here is our 7 month old DS's routine:

7:30 BF
8:30 Solids
10:30-11:30 Nap

11:30 BF
1:30 Solids
2:30-4:00 Nap

4:00 BF
6:30 BF
7:00 In bed

Here's the problem...he can put himself to sleep for his naps, but bedtime is a long screaming match.  He cries HARD at bedtime and we end up doing a lot of pat/shh to get him to sleep.  We used to put him down at 7:15 and bedtime was a problem so we backed it up to 7:00 and it is still a problem.  We are at our wits end trying to figure out how he can go down for naps so well, but not bedtime.  My DH was ready to let him cio tonight (we didn't) but it is just frustrating that after 7 months bedtime is still confusing.

Any thoughts?

[gabbysmommy]

Hi, I have a 7 month also and we pretty much have the same schedule!  Except I give him solids in the evening too.  My lo doesn't go to bed until later though.  Are you sure he is tired at 7:00?

[M and N's Mom]

Are your naps and A time pretty much the same?  Our DS has 3 hours right on between wake up and first nap, and again before second nap.  Do you have longer than 3 hours before bed?  What time do you put your lo down at bedtime?

No, I'm not sure he's quite ready, but 7:15 wasn't better and we just haven't been able to figure it out 

Could I see your routine?

[Jonahs Mom]

I don't have any advice for you, but just wanted to let you know we are in the same position. We have been letting him run the show the last few days to see what happens and have had some improvement. Hang in there!

[gabbysmommy]

Here is our routine:

6:30 wake-up and breastfeed
Activity
7:30 cereal and fruit
Activity
8:30-10:00 or so  Nap
10:00 breastfeed
Activity
11:45  solids/breastfeed
Activity
12:45-2:00 or so Nap
2:00 breastfeed/snack
Activity
5:00solids/breasfeed
5:30 or so catnap
Activity
7:00 wind down...bath, breastfeed, books tuck in
8:00-9:00 bedtime.

[mommyOFtwins]

Have you tried cutting down his 2:30-4pm nap by a half hour or even 15mins?.  The reason i'm asking is that i know if my girls aren't awake for more than 3 hours, they are still wide awake.  Your child maybe well rested and perhaps that's why he can't sleep yet.

Sometimes after the nap, i'd feed my babies, they play to poop themselves a little and then we'd do our winddown routine and in bed.  We're usually off bedtime by 15-30mins but i figure EASY isn't about 'the clock' but the routine itself.

[M and N's Mom]

Thanks for the routine gabbysmommy.  The main difference I see with your routine is the catnap so your lo can make it later.  We don't have a catnap so he is up from 4:00 on.

The past couple of nights we have tried to extend bedtime a bit to 7:15/7:25 when we saw sleepy signs, but he still screams at bedtime AND wakes screaming again at 45 minutes, after the first sleep cycle.  Isn't that typically an overtired waking if it is right after the first cycle?

Mommyoftwins...I don't know how you do it with two - lol!  His nap 2:30-4:00, he isn't generally sleeping until 2:40ish so he isn't getting much more than 1h 15m most days. 

He's such a mystery 

[gabbysmommy]

That is a good question about being overtired and waking up 45 minutes after being put to bed.  Gabby does that too.  Yesterday I put her to bed around 8:00 and she woke up 3 times before ten.  She does that all of the time.  I would like to know why.

[M and N's Mom]

I know that they say overtired/overstimulated = wakings in the early part of the night.  Last night was about 7:20ish when he went down, but woke up absolutely screaming bloody murder from 9:00-9:45.  Once I FINALLY settled him, he slept through the rest of the night. 

So, tonight we're going to move it back to 7:00 and see if that gets rid of the early night wakings...we're still going to have the crying at bedtime though    I wish I could figure this one out!