my sleeping daughter?

Question

i have a 5 month old daughter and her sleeping schudule is so messed up most nights she doesnt go to bed untill 12-2 am, how do i get her to bed earlier?

Answer 1

You don't. I have a 16 month old and she still goes to bed at 12.

Answer 2

I have 4 children and had them all sleeping through the night by the time they were a month. They were all 9lbs which may have helped. I read Dr. Terry Brazeltons book the first 12 months of life. He was very helpful a little extra before bed really helps lengthen the amount of sleeping time. My first used to throw up a lot and so I would have to start nursing her all over. A lot of time I just let them fall asleep in my arms. and slowly move out of the room.So If they woke up first I would pick them then I would just rub thier backs then I would talk to them outside thier door. Then I went to bed. If they cried longer then 5 minutes or a real distress cry then I went in and started again.Babies need to know they can count on us and memory ia a newly devolping part of their experince.

Answer 3

It is a hard thing to do, but the only thing that worked for us was to do the cry it out method. It was hell the first 3 nights, but now (one month later) we are able to put our 4 month old to bed at 7:30 pm and he fusses for about 5 minutes and then is asleep. He will sleep until 7:30 am (occasionally waking for a feed at 4 am). If he does wake himself up in the middle of the night he is now able to put himself to sleep. It is a very hard thing to do, but it has worked wonders for us. We were pacing the floors and listening to a crying baby from 7 pm-midnight before he would finally fall asleep. Now he knows how to put himself to sleep...even for naps! There are a lot of ways to do the "cry it out". We did the extreme measure of creating a bedtime routine and then putting the baby down awake in his crib and then leaving the room. The first night he cries for 1 hour and 15 minutes (at points hysterically). Thankfully my pediatrician said this was fine..as long as I could handle it. Of course I sat on the couch crying in my husband's arms until he was quiet. The next night he cried for 45 minutes. The next night for 30 minutes. The next night for 10 minutes. Now he fusses or cries for no more than 5 minutes after being put down (unless he is very overtired or I jumped the gun on a nap and he is not tired enough yet.) We are very consistent with our bedtime routine and make sure to start it between 6:45 and 7:00 every night so that he is in his crib by 7:30 the latest. It was very hard, but he is so much happier now because he is getting enough sleep...and so are we! Good luck.

Answer 4

I can`t really say because my son has been sleeping through the night since he was about 5 weeks old...(6 1/2 months old now) He still takes atleast 3 naps a day...I would ask your doctor and see what he says..Good Luck to you!!

Answer 5

I know its not right to start solids for babies under 6 months but that helped me. My baby was getting up at nights and fussing for more milk. I started solids slowly and gradually and I found that she slept better in a few days. Try doing that. it might help.

Now I'm doing solids like banana and mashed rice and lentils and boiled potatoes and cereals three times a day and she sleeps all night.

Answer 6

Try keeping her up longer in the day, My son started sleeping after i added a little baby cereal at bedtime in the bottle. and i heated his bottles i know some moms dont but I always did. Did the same with my lil one when she came and worked the same...... I tryed this after calling my grandma crying that i was so tired and he wouldnt sleep.

Answer 7

get a schedule my daughter sleeps 7pm till 7.30/7.50am at night and has 9 am sleep for and hour and pm nap for two hours try that xx

Answer 8

thats part of being a baby, they sleep mostly in the day.
try to alert the baby more in the daytime, put the baby in swing and put cartoons on.
It gets better as they get older, u better sleep when the baby sleeps.

Answer 9

Hi
I put my little girl in a routine from 4 weeks old as she had the most horrendous colic (24 hours) and basically something had to give. I tell you its the best thing i have ever done. Within 2 days the colic had completely disappeared and we have never looked back. She was sleeping through from 10 weeks and everybody comments on what a happy smiley contented baby i have. If i take her out of the routine she is the most cranky unhappy happy i have ever seen so she depends on it. Every baby is different so you have to give n take a bit but here is her routine.

8am - wake her up (no matter how much or little she has slept during the night whilst you are getting her into the routine) - Give her her breakfast.

dont let her stay awake for longer than 2 hours in the morning. babies get over tired really easily.

so even if she doesn't seem tired take her up to bed at 10am - if she wont go to sleep on her own in the early days of setting this routine rock her to sleep or whatever.

Let her sleep for about 45 minutes.

11.45 am next feed (mine is weaning onto solids at this meal now otherwise my little girl used to drink about 7 oz at this feed.)

Again no later than 2 hours after she woke its nap time again. so approx 12.45 put her back down to sleep. This time for upto 2 hours sleep. Again in the early days of setting a routine if she cant sleep on her own - take her out for a walk in the pram or whatever helps her sleep.

Approx 3pm its feed time again.

Around 5.30 ish she may show signs of being cranky and tired (specially if her earlier naps have gone wrong) if you think she is really tired put her to bed for a nap of about 15 minutes to half an hour max. This will get her through till bedtime . Some babies dont need this nap at all - go off your baby.

At about 6.30 bath her, get her into her bed clothes and then give her a big feed - If she cant last till after the bath for a feed - give her half before the bath and half after.

Then about 7.30 / 7.45 take her upstairs - cuddle her, read a story - whatever suits and wind her down. At 8pm put her in her cot and again in the early days if she needs help getting to sleep rock her whatever.

About 11pm wake her up for a last feed. Change her etc . Put her back to bed and eventually she will sleep till 8 am. If she wakes up in the night go to her but keep all lights off and calm. Keep her in her bedroom until 8 am no matter how many times you are up to her.

It sounds quite restrictive in the early days whilst you are getting her used to the routine but believe me it is so so worth it. Once she is used to when her naps times are etc she will automatically fall into what she should be doing. And you have a much happier mum and baby as a result. I am a first time mum with a happy baby who can fall to sleep on her own, doesn;t need a dummy to go to sleep, laughs all the time and hardly cries - all in my mind because i know what time she will be hungry - what time she needs a sleep etc and therefore i tend to her needs before she has to cry to tell me there is a problem .

If your daughter is unable to fall to sleep on her own message me and i can tell you what advice i was given and that it worked.

All babies are different but everyone i know who follows this routine all have it easy looking after their babies. Once you have her into the routine you can go out and let her sleep in her pram when you are out at nap times so its really only restrictive in the early days whilst you are putting your daughter into the times.

Hope all this helped.

Nic

Answer 10

You can look this site over. I don't know how much it'll help. But its got ideas. Hope this helps.