My 9 month old doesn't get to sleep till 2am!?

Question

I've cut out his late afternoon nap, and he started to go to bed at 10pm, and now he's forcing himself to stay awake til two again, I just don't get what to do to get him to go to bed....any advice from experienced moms?

Answer 1

It sounds strange, but I agree that you should try putting him to sleep much earlier. He might just be over-tired. Unlike us adults, if babies are over-tired they have a really hard time falling asleep. Routine is key, as mentioned by others. Also, I wouldn't let him cry it out because he very well cry for hours and just wonder why you aren't coming to soothe him when you always have before. I strongly recommend "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. Unlike another mom said, he is not trying to manipulate you, he just doesn't know how to put himself to sleep yet! This book will help you parent him to sleep in a kind and nurturing way. Hope it helps!

Answer 2

I had this problem. The more I resisted, the worse it got. All I can say is - This is a phase and he WILL grow out of it. Make sure you are still following some kind of bedtime routine and that you do it every night. My son is now 17 months and HE points to the bedroom now when he wants to go to sleep (usually after he has eaten dinner, taken a bath and we snuggle or read). I work 12-hour shifts and when I work days we get home at about 7:45-8pm. I immediately get him dinner and start my routine. We try (and he falls into) to keep the same routine and timelines when I don't work. 10pm may seem late to some, but if the goal is to get up at 9-10am it is reasonable. At that age they should be getting about 13-14 hours of sleep per day including naps. My son STILL takes TWO naps each day, but he only sleeps about 8-9 hours at night. I tried to cut it down to one and it started a nightmare of a week. Babies do what they are ready to do, when they are ready to do it.

Answer 3

Hi...do you have a routine for him? Its very important.
It also sounds like your letting him decide when he will sleep which is not a good idea. Pick an appropriate hour for him and put him in his crib each night at this hour. He won't sleep at first but he will get use to it. He might cry or scream, but let him do that for a while too so he knows you mean business. If he is screaming for longer than 15 minutes and can't sooth himself, by all means pick him up and reassure him and then try again. Babies learn very quickly how to manipulate us, and I am not being mean but its true. Set a routine for him, be patient give it time, it will all work out. You are the boss, not your little guy. You can also try a warm bath just before bed time. Good luck to you :))

Answer 4

I did not have this problem but maybe try putting him down earlier, 10 pm is late. My son is 1 and since 6 months I put him to bed between 7 pm - 8pm depending on how much he naps during the day.

Answer 5

Get him in a nightime routine, bath, books, bed. I put my 22 month old in bed at 8pm. almost every night, sometimes 8:30 but he goes to sleep, no whining. and its because we have had him on this routine since he was 6 months.

he is probably overtired and can't wind down. He should have 2 naps durning the day and sleep at least 10 hrs a night.

good luck!

Answer 6

I just got my 18 month old out of our bed and pretty much weaned from the breast. It is so hard having to sleep like that with your shirt up all the time. Mine was nursing every hour and half or so too. We began Controlled Crying, not to be confused with Cry it Out. Controlled Crying is when you put the baby in their bed and leave the room. The baby starts crying, and you return 2-5 minutes later and calm the baby down without picking her up. You know, stroke her face, give her a sip of water, rub her back for a few moments then leave the room again. You continually do that until she is asleep. After I got to bed, if he woke up, I'd stick my hand through the crib (crib is 6 inches from my side of the bed) and rub him, shoosh him, tell him it was OK. He would cry for a little bit, but then go back to sleep. My breast wasn't right next to his face anymore because he was in the crib and me in bed. I began this on a Friday night (since my husband doesn't work on the weekends, I didn't want his sleep to be disturbed on a weeknight), and I think my husband might have only slept in the office Monday night and Tuesday night, and after that, Jimmy would only wake up briefly, not enough to keep my husband awake. The second night, he didn't cry when I first put him in his crib either. The first night he cried a total of 15 minutes, with me going in there every couple minutes to calm him down. Not too bad. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to have time to myself in the evening now, and to be getting a good night's sleep everynight. I talked to my pediatrician, and she thinks Controlled Crying is OK for babies 9 months and older. She does not agree with Crying It Out at any age. Since your baby is 9 months old still, she may actually be hungry in the middle of the night, so I wouldn't cut her off completely. Give her a high protein snack before bed like bits of cheese. And, then nurse her before bed, but put her in the crib awake and do the steps. Only you will know when she is actually hungry, maybe 4 hours after her snack and nursing? And, then maybe 4 hours after that. But, try not to give in and let her in the bed. Sit yourself up when you nurse her in the middle of the night and force yourself to put her back in the crib. It will be tough, but soooo worth it. ((((((Hugs))))))

Answer 7

Cry it out till he goes to sleep. He is not going to learn to go to sleep when you want him to if you sit with him till he does.

Answer 8

Don't let him sleep during the day! He will have a hell of a bad/moody day, but he'll be exhausted and sleep earlier and then you can start that "normal" sleeping cycle. Kid's gotta sleep sometime! :)