Sucky bedtimes

Hi all

Anyssa goes to sleep pretty well during the day, but when it comes to settling down for the night we are having a few problems.

Our bedtime routine starts about 6ish, with a bath, massage, pj's on and into her room with the curtains closed for a feed. She is usually in bed by 7pm.

Most of the time she goes to sleep quite easily, but wakes up an hour or so later - sometimes with wind and other times quite upset. Sometimes she resettles and sometimes I have to give her another feed (I put her straight back to bed after). Last night she took until 9pm to go to sleep for the night.

If she doesn't wake up an hour after going down she wakes up really upset about 10-11pm.

Does this waking up an hour after going to bed happen to any one else? Is this quite normal and I just have to roll with it?

Am I trying to get her into bed too early? I'm not sure how to stretch her bedtime out later because she is usually pretty tired by the end of the day.

Do you think she isn't getting enough food during the day to get her thru the night? She has 5-6 breastfeeds per day.

Any ideas? This has been going on for about 6 weeks. She used to just go to sleep for the night like a good girl... It's hard to invite people around or go anywhere with her at night while she is like this.

is it still light when she goes to bed? I heard that when they get a bit older they find it harder to go to sleep if there is still some light coming into the room...

but I don't really know, I'm not experienced... my bubs is only almost 7 weeks old!

Bizzy wrote: at 4 mths old i wouldnt expect them to go to bed and stay in bed for the rest of the night at 7pm. maybe you are expecting a bit much..    go easy on yourself and go with her flow for a bit longer.

I agree! I thought u must be talking about a chilc a lot older than that! Isla is still like that plus doesnt sleep through the night after that either, and shes 17months I wouldnt try and make bedtime any later. Im pretty sure 7pm is an average bedtime for most babies/toddlers and yound kids.

Does she have no bf after bedtime til the morning? If so 12 + hrs between feeds is a lot at that age,...u could dream feed her at 10pm ish, and see if that helps? But then if she does sleep through after those screaming bits at 10pm,...then maybe she doesnt need it?

Oh that sounds pretty good then, especially 6.40pm! Good that she would re-settle in the night without being fed, but why did she wake up then?! I know it so isnt easy having them wake in the night, and even more annoying when they settle so easily!It like "well why did u wkae up then?!!"
Sorry cant really help with the evening wakeup problem tho.

Lachie does something very similar, although less as he gets older. He goes down about 7 and after his first sleep cycle (about 45 min)he sometimes wakes up screaming, usually if I leave him for a couple of minutes he goes back to sleep, occassionally I go in and give him a cuddle and put him back down. He has slept through about from 7 to 6-7 since 11 weeks but for some reason has been waking over the past week, I am hoping it is a short phase! He is about to get this 5th tooth so I am hoping that that is the prob.
I hope that things settle down for you.

Hi DJ, lachie did the same last night, he woke after his first sleep cycle and it took quite a bit to get him to settle again but I didn't have to get up for him in the night, I did hear him wake several times and have a short cry but then went back to sleep, thank goodness! I just hope that he gets back to his old habits soon. I have put it down to teething, the fifth one has just cut through this morning.
I hope that things get better for you as well

Thanks Nikki. Apart from copious amounts of dribbling, she doesn't seem to be teething - well, nothing I can see on her gums, not upset in the day time, no red cheeks. anything else to look for?

Last night was better - she was sleep crying at 9pm again and woke up very sad again She woke again at 2.30 so I fed her and she slept until 8am.

I saw your post nikki in the oct thread about changing sleep patterns at 5mths - that could be part of it too - she often sleeps for more than an hour in the day these days (another change).

Edited by DJ

Bel do you do anything to help him calm down (eg shh pat etc) or just leave him to it?

DJ wrote: Apart from copious amounts of dribbling, she doesn't seem to be teething - well, nothing I can see on her gums, not upset in the day time, no red cheeks. anything else to look for?

Jack used to wake after about 45mins at night, but only some nights. Sometimes waking with wind. This changed not very long ago when I stopped feeding him to sleep (using Pinky McKay's book so very minimal crying). Since starting this about a month or so ago he has only woken once twice after 45mins. Not sure if it is related to not bf to sleep.

Also when he teeths he sleeps well during the day but very badly at night. Most of the time now he doesn't dribble, may or may not have nappy rash but for the last 4 teeth he has had a runny nose (we are at 10 teeth now). His symptoms seems to change. So it could possibly be teething as it is not too early.