What time should a 2m old baby go to sleep?

[elenabaker]

Hi.... firs time here!
I'm trying to set a bedtime routin for my 2 month old dd but im not sure at what time she sould be in bed, so far she doesnt fall asleep before 12am and wakes up till 2 or 3 pm (she does wake up to be feed in between) and how can i make her sleep earlier??? Thanks for any advice

[Hattie05]

I think the general advice is to gradually bring their days forward. e.g. put her to bed at 11.45, then 11.30 and bit by bit she'll get into a more "night" time routine.

But tbh she is very young, and this could all change naturally.

As she gets a bit older, start doing a night time routine of bath, feed in darkened bed room and then down to her cot - at whatever time you decide should be bedtime!
But at 2mths, i'd carry on going with the flow, and see how things go.

[Kidstrack2]

I was led by my 2 kids and gradually thier last feed would fall at about 11pm when they were your dd's age. And before long it was 9pm and then 7pm and then by the time they were 2yrs old you forget all about thier sleeping patterns and think to yourself was I really awake at 2am!

[bakedpotato]

If you want DD to go to sleep earlier, start waking her up earlier... do it incrementally, knock off half an hour a day over a period of time, until she's waking up at a time that suits you. And adjust bedtime accordingly.

[collision]

I tried to work on the 10am, 2pm, 6pm feeding times. Do bathtime at 5.30pm and feed at 6pm and down to bed at 6.30pm. This worked for us and although it will take some time it is worth it.

DS's (3.4 and 9months) still have bath at around this time and are both in bed by 7pm.

Your LO is still very little tho so dont worry too much.

[collision]

Sorry....should add that these times are 10am, 2pm, 6pm, 10pm, 2am,6am.

[girrafey]

collision i hope im not being rude but how on earth did you end up with chikdren with those age gaps and how the hell do you cope!!! hats off to you!

[jambot]

I started a bedtime routine at 6 weeks. Bath, bottle in a dark room, with no eye contact, talking etc. Also sing her the same song as I'm undressing her for her bath. Do exactly the same every night. In bed by 6:30. Sometimes even earlier if she is showing that she is tired. I find the longer I let her stay awake when she is tired, the earlier she wakes up the next day. She is now 5 months, but I've been lucky in that she has mostly slept through from 3 months - i.e 6:30 to 6:30. Also never let her sleep later than 7am.
Would really have a go at the bedtime routine, it made a big difference to me.

[ggglimpopo]

Message withdrawn

[KiwiKate]

Routine made no difference to DS until about 4mo - so don't be too set on it. Give it a try, and great if it works for you, but don't stress if it does not. Remember this is a stage and it will pass.

[suzywong]

ggg have you been at the crack pipe again?

[collision]

Amyjo......not sure what you mean. My ds's are 3years4months and 9 months!!!!!!!!!

Gggg....why was your message deleted?

[KiwiKate]

Collision, it could have been misread as 9months and 3.4 months!

[Chickyboo]

I think she's a bit young for routine..I had same thing with Dd and I just made sure she was fed on demand during day but I think it is quite normal for young babies to wake every 2-3 hours they need feeding regularly. We didn't follow aproper routine until dd was about 5-6 mths but by then she had sorted out herself she has hardly woken in the night from 4 mths old.

What time do you go to bed??

[fisil]

i don't think it is too early for routine (i desperatelt need routine, and as happy mummy = happy baby ...).

both mine started their bedtime routine at 2 weeks. At that stage we also introduced the 7 o'clock rule. the 7 o'clock rule is that they did not leave their bedroom between 7pm and 7 am. So even if they weren't able to sleep, they got used to the idea that nighttime was to be spent in a dark room with no excitement.

ds1 was always an excellent sleeper and settled to the idea fairly quickly. ds2 has been more of a challenge and did get brought downstairs a couple of times to be fed during good tv programmes! he also came in bed with us at 5am a few times when we were too tired. From about 6 weeks he managed to get through from 7 - 7 either asleep or feeding (but feeding very regularly). From about 10 weeks he started falling asleep at 7, waking for only 2 feeds (c. midnight & 4am) and sleeping through to 7. It has been much harder work with him, and he's still only 12 weeks, so I don't feel confident that we're there yet, but we're now getting beautiful quiet evenings from 7pm and a good few hours sleep.

[fisil]

oh, a couple of tips i forgot (wriggly baby on lap): have a very set bathtime/bedtime routine as it helps to settle and give a monster feed starting about 5pm. ds2 has over 10oz between 5pm and bed - fitted in around bath and story.

[KiwiKate]

fisil, I think it depends on the baby (and on how desperate mum is for a routine). My DS had colic and there was no way he could have gone into a routine so early. Not sure that he would have been ready for a routine then even if he had no colic. Just goes to show how different they all are, I suppose

[fisil]

You're right, KK, and ds2 has been such a different experience. He isn't a routine baby at all, whereas ds1 was (even in the womb!). His daytime sleeps have no pattern at all, and there's nothing at all I can do to influence them. But what you said about mummy is more important. I am so desperate for routine that I really can't cope without, and ds1 is the same. So ds2 basically has to follow us. So desperate am I that I did sacrifice a lot of evenings and nights sitting in ds2's room on my own cuddling, feeding, calming when I knew full well that it would have been far easier (and probably kinder for him) to just carry on with the evening as usual. I am very jealous of people who are able to take it as it comes, but I have learnt (I had a very difficult pg with AND) that my route to happiness is strict routine!

[KiwiKate]

I guess I am a bit opposite of you fisil. Too strict a routine stresses me . I sometimes get jealous of those who can "do things by the book"! (so much more predictable)
Although as they get older I think some routine (even if a bit flexible) is a lifesaver.

So I agree, mums need to do what works for them. . Happy mum = happy baby. Stressed mum = stressed baby.

[mumtosomeone]

not read thread just title 'when should a 2m sleep' whenever it wants in my book!!!
Sorry I am a do as baby wants type of person. they soon sort their own little routine out.
Do you go to sleep at the same time every day?

[elenabaker]

Well, i kinda began with the routine and she is going to sleep earlier!!! But obviously im not (its almos 3 am) Before she woulndt do it before 12 30 sometimes even at 2 am! and in the past 3 days she has been sleeping earlier 11:30 tonight!!! So, thanks for the advices, i mix them! AND! happy mom is going to bed now.

[aprilmeadow]

My DS is 3.5mths and doesnt have particularly structured routine. Has his tea time feed between 5pm and 7pm, then has as we like to call it 'Quality Tumble Dryer Time' In his buggy infront of tumble dryer. We tend to wake him between 10 and 11pm, feed him and put him to bed. He then wakes at about 4am and then again at about 7/8am. My DH works from home,and we try to feed him when he wakes in the am then at 10am and 1.30pm then the times above.

I would like to get him in a better routine where he goes to bed at 7pm rather than being in his buggy, then feed him in his room at 10.30pm. TBH we havent done this before as my dh has his 'office' in the nursery and tends to work in the evening. We are having a new fitted bedroom so that we can have a desk for dh and so that ds can have his own room. So until then (2 weeks) he has to stick to this routine. I just hope that we are able to crack this and hope that we havent left it too late, because by then he will be 4mths!!

I sound terrible!!