should i wake my 11 week old in the mornings?

[babyphat]

she sleeps like a dream - one 5-6 hour stretch, up for a feed and off for another 3 hours before getting up, one 45 minute nap in my arms and one 3 hour nap.

only problem is that her nighttime sleep is from 3am-8:30am, then back down again till 11:30am. Afternoon nap is 3-6pm.

i rarely see daylight, as her frequent feeding (bf) means that the rest of the daylight hours i seem to be feeding or burping her.

should i roll with it for a bit longer and let her find a rhythm naturally, or could i get her up after the morning feed at 8:30 and try and reset her little body clock a bit?

i don't want to jeopardise all the good bits but would love to go to bed before 3am! not looking for a solution a la 'she who must not be named', am perfectly happy to do night feeds etc.

advice from the experienced? should i count my blessings and let well alone?

hello my dd was a bit like this eventually she did bring the sleep backwards a bit with some encouragement. I would gradually bring 'bedtime' forward ie midnight, 10pm, 8pm and start establishing a bedtime ritual so that your dd knows what is coming next, ie the whole bath, massage, cuddle, feed bed. Are you not going out and about much because once you start to your baby will naturally not be able to sleep as much in the morning so will be more tired in the evening. xX

Hi there, you're doing really well and it will get easier. What is happening between 6pm and 3am, is that when she feeds lots? I basically went along with DS who settled into his own rhythm quite early on.

agree with girlie - to help with bedtime routine can you try waking her a little earlier from her afternoon nap.

also the daylight thing defo makes a difference -will she nap in carseat/pram?

Do things very gradually - we didn't, DD slept like a dream 11pm-5am. We brought her bedtime suddenly to 7pm as I listened to other people and she woke numerous times a night for 3 months. I don't believe in waking a sleeping baby to be honest they then often become overttired and more difficult to get down for the next nap. Maybe put her down to sleep at 8.30am in her pram and go for a walk/shop etc...

Good Lord, no.

I sympathise with the daylight issue, but if she's already sleeping for stretches that long, she'll find her way soon enough.

Enjoy your five-hour stretches, and congratulations on your angel baby! [smle]

I meant , obviously.

mmecheese, evenings were her crying time (not as bad as colic, but crabby, fretful and hungry). She is over that now so is just wide awake and alert, mostly very happy though, between 6 and 3. so don't think she is overtired, just skewed body clock! and actually it's sometimes closer to 2, just last night was a late one, hence my turning to MN.

i am doing a routine of sorts - change, wash face and hands, decamp to bedroom around midnight and feed/cuddle in bed with dim lighting. (bathtimes wake her up so that's not such a good option.)

i'm not out much because tbh, at the moment i sleep in while she sleeps, too knackered. but getting a bit more energy now - i will make more effort to get out during the afternoon nap rather than going on the internet , and if it shortens the naptime so be it.

thanks for reassurance, so many people have been hinting about the importance of 7pm bedtime, routine etc, makes you doubt yourself a bit. will go with instincts of not waking a sleeping babe.

I would leave the morning nap alone (DS2 is one and still goes back down about 9 for 2 hours). Instead I would move the afternoon nap back to say 1pm gradually by moving it back by half an hour ever few days. Then introduce a bedtime routine at 6pm and treat everything after that as nighttime - low light, minimal talking, soft quiet cuddles and straight back to bed. Hopefully, that should gently help your baby figure night from day over time.

i personally would never wake a sleeping baby - but what i would do is try and make her 'start the day at 8.30' when she wakes i.e bring her downstairs into the living area and let her sleep there and then bed time at 7.00. but go with the flow and eventually things will work out.