What is the right time for 4.5 month old 'bedtime'?

Question

Our daughter currently gets up around 7am, naps around 9, 12, and 3 - and is usually done napping by 3:30 or 4. Each nap is 30-90 minutes (usually 45 min on average, she's a short napper despite all of my efforts).

We then have the problem that she is tired by 5:30 or 6:00pm - and we either need to give her a catnap by then, or put her to bed. She still gets tired every 1.5 - 2.5 hours - so we don't know whether it is better to shoot for an early bedtime, or do a 4th nap. She gets overtired if we keep her up for bedtime at 7:30 or 8 even with an extra 4th catnap, but when we do earlier bedtime she wakes up after 2 hours and then doesn't sleep as well at all at night.

Any advice from parents that have been in the same boat?

Thanks for the input!

To clarify - she is a VERY ACTIVE baby and always needs to be busy - she hates bouncy chairs, swings, carseats, even strollers where she is constrained- and wants to be doing stuff on her own. We go for lots of walks (carriers) and are very active during the day. Oddly, she seems to sleep a little better at night after a 4th nap (only getting up at 4am), I am really just wondering if it is better not to do 4 naps and instead to do a 6:30ish bedtime instead of 8. I just thought 6:30 bedtime was a little early (but I should reread 'Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child' perhaps), and itin the past it has thrown off her night sleeping to go to bed so early.

Answer 1

I recommend the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth. He details wake/sleep cycles by age.
He is a strong believer in early bedtimes.

Answer 2

My 8month old daughter gets up around 7, naps from 9-11 napes again from 1-2:30, 3 eats her dinner around 4:15-4:30 and cries to go to bed no later then 5:30-6... The Dr. says some babies are just sleepers and they cannot sleep too much. Enjoy the break it won't last forever.

Answer 3

My grandson is 4 1/2 months old. He was born April 15. I just started caring for him while my daughter and son-in-law work. He doesn't have any real schedule quite yet, but he's working on it. He, too, generally only sleeps about 45 minutes at a time during the day despite my best efforts to get him to sleep longer. At night, they get anywhere from 4-7 hours at a stretch from him. He goes down for the count at night about 9-10 PM. Then he sleeps 4-7 hours, wakes to nurse and generally falls back asleep for a few more hours. He'll nap 3-4 times during the day. Evenings can be a cranky time for him and he gets easily over-tired. In addition to being a mom for 28 years to 4 kids (now ages 28, 25, 22, and 10) I have also provided child care in my home for the last 20 years. I have cared for numerous infants and each one has had a vastly different schedule and generally baby schedules change every couple months. There really is not right bed-time since each baby is different. My youngest child was a "night-owl". She consistently went to bed around 11-midnight, but would sleep until 9-10 AM, even when she was a newborn. My middle 2 kids were early to bed babies. In bed by 7-8 and up by 5-6. My guess with your daughter is she is in a transition time and it may take a few weeks for her body to decide if she wants to go to bed for her longest sleep period early in the evening or have a 4th nap and go to bed late. Generally trying to keep a baby awake doesn't turn out near as well as we'd like. An overly tired baby just doesn't sleep well and may have trouble falling asleep. When she is tired at 5:30-6:00 you say you have to give her a catnap or put her to bed. I am just wondering how you differentiate between the 2? Do you have different routines or sleep space for naps and bedtime? If she falls asleep about 6:00 but only sleeps a couple hours, you may have to move her bedtime to much later than 7:30-8:00 for awhile until she is ready to give up her 4th nap. It seems like we went through a period with all of our kids where they went to bed when we did for awhile. It wasn't our preferred choice and it didn't last long, but it worked at the time for us all to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Sometimes a set bed-time doesn't become part of a baby's routine until they are much older, well into their toddler years. You may have to give up on a set bedtime for awhile and let your daughter go to sleep whenever she is tired and sleep for as long as she wants until she is a little bit older.

Answer 4

my son is 5 1/2 months.. same as your baby - 45 min catnapper.. it was such a pain to figure out when his bedtime was .. I would put him down for a nap, but he'd sleep right through untill next feeding at 2 am.. I would think i'm putting him down for the night, yet 45 min's later he calls.. i remember those days well..

He used to go to bed at 7.. This would mean a bath around 6:15, 6:30.. then bottle, etc.. so it would take him 45-30 min's to get to bed. And this worked.. b/c he was tired at bathtime, but he enjoyed it b/c it was relaxing, then bottle while he's still awake, a little quiet reading/play, and he would be so mellow, he'd fall right asleep. So i think this would also work for your baby since even 7.30 is too late and she's tired..

Now i'm trying to stretch this time to 8pm, so he'll sleep untill 8am.. it would be easier for me to get ready for work in the morning.. i don't have to wake up at 6am to take a shower!!!

Answer 5

You do not have your baby on a schedule, sounds like she is inside most of the day...yes? well she needs long walks outdoors in the afternoon...if it is too hot like here in central California, then as soon as it cools off go for the walk ... the fresh air is what will make her sleep during the night...fresh air never hurt a child...they need it...she also sounds like she isn't active enough that she gets bored and takes a nap...naps are good and necessary...but if you feed in the mornings, and after lunch go out for at least three or four hours...walking..to the park...take a book go read....even if she sleeps while out...it wont stop the effects of being outside...she will be tired at night and go to sleep for the night...I used to put my babies to bed, after the bath by 7pm....they would sleep till 7 am...oh and when you get home from your walk your baby will be immediately hungry so be ready for the good supper...

Answer 6

your gonna have to keep her up from now on after her 3rd nap until 8pm! no more naps, it is spoiling her night sleep.
she is going to be too early and waking too early and resulting in many naps during teh day because she is so tired.
so in a week get her to get tired and keep her up till 8.00 put her to bed and she should wake at 8-9pm. then she can drop down to 2 naps during the day.she is 4 mths they dont sleep like a new born anymore.

Answer 7

i babysit twin boys. and they r 3 years old now. i went thorugh this problem when they were younger. i layed them down at 7:30. and told thme it was bedtime. now theres a bathwash that will help u settle them down. id say try and avoid the daytime naps that way she will sleep through the night. but ur the mother.

Answer 8

try taking her outside for a walk or something. the excitement should make her a bit more tired and sleep longer