When and how should you start structuring sleep?

[Stefka]

My DS is 2 months old and is a pretty good sleeper once he goes to sleep (at night this sometimes takes 2-3 hours). He will sleep for a six hour stretch at night although this could start at any time between 12 and 2am. He also has a long sleep in the morning of 2-3 hours and a nap in the afternoon. He will doze in the evening for about half an hour at a time only and is awake the rest of the time.

Is it too early to try and structure his sleep a bit more? If not then how the hell would I go about it? Should I get him up in the day time? I have no clue what I should be doing!

[ChubbyStuckForAFestiveNameBurd]

TBH (not from a position of experience, just from a position of someone with a crap sleeper) it sounds like your LO has made up a wee routine of his own and as far as structure goes it looks pretty good. I'd be reluctant to rock the boat!

[meepingaroundthechristmastree]

Once I worked out that my dd (5 months) would go for approx 1.5/2 hours then need a nap, everything seemed to fall into place - I was able to put her down for a nap before she got narky and overtired. I stopped worrying about her napping too close to bedtime - if she's slept enough during the day she will normally go to sleep at "bed-time". What my mum always said to me has to be the best advice I have ever had: "never wake a sleeping baby"!
It does sound like your ds has got his own wee rountine!

[systemsaddict]

His sleeping sounds pretty good to me, I would have walked over broken glass to get a six hour stretch at night and a long, predictable morning nap at 2 months with ds! If this is a routine you are happy with, I wouldn't change it. Basic parenting principle: don't mess with success . The great thing is there are very few things you 'should' be doing, do whatever keeps you and your family happiest! You only need to start changing things if you, ds, dp or all three are unhappy with the status quo.

[MaeWestYeMerryGentlemen]

6 hrs at night is great!

Would agree with the others, sounds like there is already a bit of a routine forming. Also, things will change as your baby grows - no point trying to fit your DS into someone else's routine only for him to change of his own accord anyway...

[hermykne]

stefka, at 2 mths his routine is very likely going to change at 4mths and 6mths, it s maybe a good idea to get in to the habit of having a going to bed routine with him so he associates this with bedtime later on, wghen he is much more alert and wise to mummy and daddy bewing in the house but not holding him! with teeth and just his general development , having say 7/8/9pm as his time for getting ready for bed, (bath/music lullaby stuff/jammies/cosy time/ into cot) will hopefully ensure you have a baby thats not going to buck a trend he is settled in at the mo.
hth

[Stefka]

He just takes so long to get to go to sleep and I am not sure why. He is so grumpy in the evening, cries loads - maybe that's just a baby thing though? The morning sleep is fine with me - I was just worried it was too long. I would also rather he went to sleep before midnight! I guess sleep is the holy grail though eh.

[hermykne]

stefka what times does he go to sleep and when does he get up.
midnight seems a bit late if u dont mind me saying. is he up until midnight?
does he sleep in the afternoon into the evening? and up from then til midnight?

if so you ll have to move everything back i order to get a baby you ll go down for you at 8/9pm til 6/7am, that 'd be average i think

[hermykne]

meant to say even if you are feeding the baby yourself, you can still get them to bed earlier, you need good nights sleep too, at least lying in the bed and resting, with them beside you from 8/9pm will stand to you in the long run.

[Stefka]

He goes to sleep around about half 12 at night and wakes up 6ish although it changes all the time. Last night he wouldn't sleep until 2 and got up at 8. In the evening he screams a lot and won't sleep. He will have the odd doze of about half an hour or so here and there.

[callmeoverchristmas]

This sounds like my DD, this might be long but hopefully helpful . My DD is now 15m and we have been through the mill a bit with Sleep (or lack of it).

I really sympathise as the lack of any time to yourself in the evening is what did me in. The only real "cure" was time. She grew out of it and gradually started going to bed earlier and earlier. Once she was over cluster feeding at night (at about 5.5m) we did some CC which taught her to settle herself if she woke and things improved but it was not a miracle cure, although it gave me some time in the evenings.
I always fed her if she wanted it during the night.
Between then and now she has got better and better and in the last 2 months switches between settling herself at 7ish and doing 12 hour stints to a few days of waking every 45 minutes when she is teething/has a cold.

I think the main turning point was her reaching an age where she was capable of self settling and finding a way of teaching her how to do it. Your DS is too young for CC as he does not have the ability to learn from it yet. There are other methods out there if you feel you need them but TBH I would advise you ride it out for a bit longer, he is doing really well to be going 6 hours at this age.

Good Luck