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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Parenting Advice Please?!

15 replies

Blue89 · 07/04/2022 19:25

My ds is 7 months next week. His bedtime is 10pm! Or occasionally much later. He wakes anywhere between 8-10am. He wakes up every 2 hours in the night, sometimes every 1 or 3 if I’m lucky. He wants to be comfort fed back to sleep. I’m terms of his routine and attempt to get him to bed earlier (7-8am), I’ve tried getting up earlier and managing his naps. So if we get up at say 8am, his first nap will be around 10am, second 2pm, 3rd around 4-5pm. He naps around 2 hours each time, I presume because he isn’t getting restful sleep at night. However, it comes to his third nap and he won’t settle until 7ish. If he isn’t napping again until 7pm, he’s again on track for a 9-10pm bedtime again. If I turned his third nap into his bedtime he wakes up to play so he views it as another nap. I’ve changed his times around and reshuffled his routine so many times after weeks of trying something new abs nothing seems to work. He’s with me 7am all the way through until I go to bed at night so I’m literally not getting any time to myself.

Losing my mind honestly. Any simile experiences, suggestions, reassurances. All welcome and appreciated! X

OP posts:
Duracellbunnywannabe · 07/04/2022 19:27

Drop to 2 naps

Menora · 07/04/2022 19:28

Drop nap 3

Dinner then bed

Blue89 · 07/04/2022 19:28

@Duracellbunnywannabe thanks. How would I space them out? He views the third time I put him down as a nap as he wakes up to play. Do you think he would get used to it eventually?

OP posts:
Blue89 · 07/04/2022 19:29

@Menora thank you. I’m going to drop the third nap and stick with it and just keep putting him down each time

OP posts:
LittleBearPad · 07/04/2022 19:29

Drop the third nap.

Menora · 07/04/2022 19:30

You have to just drop the nap and he will adapt, keep changing it is confusing. It isn’t play time so he will get used to it just don’t get him up again

I just used to do AM and PM nap, around from around 10am and then around 2-3pm and then early dinner, bath, bed

Blue89 · 07/04/2022 19:33

Thanks, perhaps I’m just overthinking things. I just feel I don’t get time to do much in the day. I’ve even struggle going out for walks and things.

OP posts:
LittleBearPad · 07/04/2022 19:34

@Blue89

Thanks, perhaps I’m just overthinking things. I just feel I don’t get time to do much in the day. I’ve even struggle going out for walks and things.
I’d put him in the pram after lunch and go for a walk then. He naps - you get a walk.
Ohshitiveturnedintomymother · 07/04/2022 19:34

My routine with dc2 from about 6/7 months is wake up at about 6.30/7 ( naturally not me waking them) then a nap at about 9ish for about 45 mins to an hour. I have to put her down then as all my classes and groups are from 10/10.30.
They then have lunch at about 12/12.30 and I then aim to put them down by about 1.30, 2 at the latest. Sleep for about 2 hours then it’s dinner at 6 and bed by 7.30 at the latest with a breastfeed beforehand. I haven’t managed to get them to sleep without feeding yet. They have a dream feed when I go to bed and usually wake up once or twice overnight.

By no means am I saying my routine is perfect but it does seem to work. I also try not to let them sleep past 4.30/5 or they never go to sleep in the evening. This does sometimes go out the Window if we’re out a bit later but generally I try to stick to it.
My routine isn’t set in stone, sometimes they nap on the way home from a class and have lunch afterwards but that’s my general day.

Ohshitiveturnedintomymother · 07/04/2022 19:36

Yes I second a pram nap, make yourself a travel cup of hot drink before you go and take a book in case they go to sleep near a handy bench

Dishwashersaurous · 07/04/2022 20:01

Focus on a short morning nap and then a long nap afterlunch
Then move bedtime earlier

Dishwashersaurous · 07/04/2022 20:02

And morning nap in the pram. So you àre both up and out in the morning. Then big nap after lunch in the cot

Cdstjooyv · 07/04/2022 20:06

Download huckleberry!

TheMagicPudding · 07/04/2022 20:31

Is he crawling about yet? I found that my little ones naps changed big time once she was crawling at about 8 months. She was a different kind of tired and with a bit of nap manipulation, she started going down earlier and earlier. Or maybe try with the last nap not letting him sleep so long and disturb him after no more than an hour? Maybe even 30 minutes just to give a little power nap to see you through to 7/8ish !

Meg237 · 07/04/2022 21:18

I found having a proper bedtime routine helped, bath bottle and bed, stick to the same time each night. Also second trying to drop to two naps. You poor thing you must be exhausted physically and mentally! And don’t be afraid to wake your baby from a nap to protect night time sleep if you feel you need to, I did the just chill baby sleep course and it literally gave me my life back!!

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