how do i make my 4 month old sleep later in the morning?

Question

he sleeps at 8 every night and wakes up at 5 am. can anyone tell me how i can try to make him sleep till atleast 6 or 7 am?

Thank you for the responses so far. Just to clarify - he feeds at 12 & 2 am after i put him down at 7pm (i would love to take credit for a miracle baby that can last that long w/o food- but...)

Also, when he wakes at 5am, he eats, plays and naps for 45 min at 8am. hes not big on cuddling in bed (he;s been sleeping in his crib since day 1)

- Could you keep him up an hour later at night before putting him to bed? (tried that- he's too ay awatired. he can barely stay awake till 7pm

Answer 1

You can't. Try to enjoy his company. In a few years, he'll be sleeping until noon.

Answer 2

9 hrs is very good for the child it will be very healthy. Does it get up in the middle of the night and have milk usually every two hrs it gets up to have a feed if it is not then it is difficult to change the routine If your hubby has the habit of early bed and early rising then child has those traits. But dont loose heart.

This is very sensitive as you have to change the timing very slowly. first try feeding him by 3am may be it is getting up because it is hungry. Next keep him awake till 9 or 10 by playing with him or by allowing him to lie on the floor and the lights are on after three months it starts looking at bright things that will distract it from sleeping. This is a slow process and should have patience.

Answer 3

Well I have 3 kids and 2 of them were beautiful sleepers. My second child (now 5) had reflux, so she wasn't a very good sleeper.

I found with the other 2 (1st child is 10) that if I kept them awake between feeds as much as possible during the day( of course they all sleep between feeds), they would sleep better at night. I demand feed all of them, none of this 4 hour crap. I found they they usually get hungry at about 3 hours. So feeding him more frequently in the day may help aswell.

If not, it'll just take time for him to decide his routine.

My 3rd child is now 5.5months old, she has slept from 6pm until 6am from the day she was born, but she has her moments like any other baby.

Answer 4

8 pm to 5 am is actually pretty amazing for a 4 month old. Congratulations. I don't think any of my 3 slept that long at such an early age. Enjoy it while it lasts.....because the next growth spurt or developmental milestone or teething could put an end to the good thing you've got going!

When he wakes at 5 am, does he feed and go back to sleep or is he up for the day?

Could you bring him in to bed with you at 5 am and cuddle and get him to go back to sleep?

Could you keep him up an hour later at night before putting him to bed?

Could you wake him up right before you go to bed and feed him a bit in hopes that he would stretch out his sleep time into the morning a bit?

Answer 5

I completely comprehend. the comparable element occurred with my 2 boys. they are grown up now. They used to get away from mattress and are available in my room at 5am wanting to start the day. What I did became.... I have been given a digital clock and that i made a demonstration with a great 7 on it. I advised the lads to no longer upward thrust up in the previous 7 , there have been a pair of mornings as quickly as I had to point out that the variety became a 5 and not yet a 7. It worked and that i ultimately had good mornings. My sons discovered to sleep until 7am. yet another theory is to get him a clock radio. And set if for song on the time you like him to awaken. he will think of that's outstanding. unsure if your son is sufficiently previous to comprehend it or no longer. that's properly worth a attempt.

Answer 6

My little boy is now 16 months old when he was 2 months old he was sleeping all night with no wake ups. He at his night bottle and that was it til about 8-9 in the morning. Now he stays up til 10pm or maybe even alittle after but he does really good. the earlier you put them to bed the earlier they are going to wake up.

Also I took my little boy to the Zoo when he was like a month 1/2 old he didn't stay up the whole time we were there but it wore him out being out here I carried him in my pouch, and let him lay in the stroller and he was wore out when we got home and that was the 1st night that he slept all night long.
Just don't let him/her go to sleep so early if you want them to sleep later...

Answer 7

You're getting a pretty good long night there already with him asleep for 9 straight hours, so I doubt he'll want to sleep later. 5's a pretty normal waking time for an infant. As the mom of an infant, you might need to be going to bed fairly early yourself so you're getting a good night's sleep even if he wakes you at 5.

However, keeping his room quiet and dark helps. Also, you might be able to bring him into bed with you to nurse or have a bottle and lull him back for another hour. My daughter often woke early and then would go back to sleep in my arms for an hour or two.

You might also consider adding a little cereal to his last nightly feeding (you can mix it with formula or juice even), so his tummy stays fuller longer.

I wouldn't recommend setting his bedtime back any later, since you want him to be used to going to bed at 8pm.

For now, though, celebrate you're getting 9 hours of quiet from such a little guy!

Answer 8

That is really good for a baby! Really the only thing to do is make sure you feed him good before he goes to bed so his tummy is full and then he may sleep a little longer! I fed my daughter a bottle around 9:00 pm when she was 4 months and she slept til 6:00 am! good luck!

Answer 9

put your baby to bed later, I put my 7 month old to bed at 9 and she wakes up around 7- 7:30 in the mornings

Answer 10

Bless the stars he goes in at 8:00 and sleeps 9 hours. What would you like him to do too maybe get up and get his own bottle and change his own diaper ? You don't know how lucky you are.

Answer 11

Sorry, the baby is in complete control. You have to sleep earlier to accommodate his schedule. I know exactly what you are going through...this too shall pass..just like the other inconvenience that are soon to come LOL. Who said being a parent was easy!