To have an eight month old go to bed between 930-10?

[Wearefearless]

Should probably post in Sleep and I may do yet but it would be interesting to see views on this.

My eight month old baby has been going through the most challenging sleep stage yet. He used to have wake windows of 2/2.5 hours and three naps but at around six months this shifted to three hours, meaning he would wake for the day at around 7, nap 10-11, then perhaps 2-3. And this was where trouble started, because putting him to bed at 6 was a no go but it seemed too late for a nap, so I was aiming for a 7pm bedtime.

He would wake constantly through the night, every hour, wouldn’t go in his cot. I was a desperate woman.

So last week entirely by accident this shifted. I was out for the day and he fell asleep in the car, waking at 630 in the evening, then ready for bed at 930.

The following day I accidentally repeated this pattern as OH worked late and ds kept crying so I took him out (oh wfh in the next room.) He fell asleep.

Both these nights were great. Ds woke once and twice respectively which is unheard of.

Reverted back friday and Saturday. Yo all night. So last night he woke up from his last nap at 630, bed at 940. Only two wake ups.

It just seems to work. But I am not sure if it’s just horribly late as a bedtime and I am storing up problems.

It's fine. The reason it's fine is that it works now.

In a month...who knows? That's the thing with babies and toddlers....and bigger kids to some extent. They change and develop constantly so just when you think you've got something down, it all goes wrong again.

Keep doing it because it's working.

It’s totally fine! Early bedtimes might be helpful when he’s older and needs to be up at a certain time for school, but for now you should just do what works for you. Sleep changes so much in the first 18 months, you don’t need to be prescriptive about bedtimes etc. If it works for you, it’s all good.

If it works it’s fine

Ds was often still up around that time and slept in longer in the morning

I was never strict with routine or felt it necessary to have him asleep by 7 and he has always been an excellent sleeper

totally ok! It only matters how many hours in the day they sleep.

#1 when I was a baby I didn't sleep at night!!! (Poor DM!) doctor told her straight away it would stay that way until 3yo. It did

#2 when your child is older you can slowly start bringing it forward. No big problem!

#3 enjoy the flexibility for now DD1 used to go to bed late and wake up late. Blissssss!! Nowadays with 3 kids they wake up at 7, 7:30...... on sunday as well!!!!!!

It’s fine. Do whatever works.
Life gets in the way of perfect schedules. In an ideal world my 1 year old will have a 2 hr nap after lunch and bed at 8pm.but sometime he falls asleep I think he car at 10.30am or 5pm, or we go out somewhere and things get shifted.

In the last week he’s gone to sleep various times between 7.30-9.45pm. He’s fine.

If it works, it works. His sleep pattern at 8 months isn't going to be his sleep pattern at 2, 4, 10 years old etc. Just enjoy getting a good night's kip!

By that stage mine were definitely dropping to 2 naps.

That means they go to bed earlier.

But tbh if you find something that works, you grab onto it with both hands as sanity is essential!

And it'll change several times until they're 2.5 anyway! You're not carving anything in stone.

It's absolutely fine, it's working. You can change it when it doesn't. Mine were similar at Thai age and everyone I knew with rigid early bed times had the issues you describe. Whatever gets you the most sleep.

Agree wholeheartedly! Do whatever works now. Sleep is so important and at this age everything is a phase!

It’s fine. This is the exact routine my almost 8 month old has