Getting a baby off to sleep in the evening SOS

[ibis17]

Hello,

I realise this is the third sleep question in the last day or so (and found the answers to the others comforting), but wondered if anyone has tips on getting a baby off to sleep in the evening. There currently seems a huge gap between what our health visitor tells us and the reality of our baby (first child, currently 7 months). We’ve been told she should fall asleep in her cot at around 7, however, more often than not we’re still up with a tired but wide awake and playful baby at 10pm...

She used to sleep quite well - would fall asleep on the breast between 8 and 9. Now she has the same routine (solids at 5, bath and story at 6.30/7, feed at 7.45) and will almost fall asleep, but will then wake up. It feels like she gets a second wind. Our health visitor has said to put her in the cot while awake, but she just cries and becomes very distressed. Apart from in the pram, she has never fallen asleep when not feeding (although we have tried periodically her whole life). Both my partner and I are exhausted and would appreciate any advice/ solidarity.

Thank you.

Don’t wake her up at 7.45am, if she’s sleeping until 9 it’s because she needs the sleep. She is awake a long time in the day so she needs all the sleep she can get

I agree about not waking her at 7.45am. It will be bad enough having to do that when she goes to school or if you go back to work. If she sleeps until 9am or beyond, so can you!

If you have a 7 months old who only wakes once or twice a night I think things are going really well.

This!
My 18m old can't manage this. There are many nights my 3 year old can't either.

Enjoy that you've got a relatively good sleeper tbh.

Oh, and let her sleep in, and sleep yourself.

Not all babies have the same body clock. You have the late riser and late going to bed version that's all.

Another one for letting her sleep in until 9! You might find that her daytime naps improve if you do that, as she will be less overtired. So if you get into a good 10pm-9am pattern you can always gradually shift back by 15mins at a time until she is going to sleep at a time you are happy with!

OP my DS was a 30 minute napper at that age. He had about 1.5 hours of sleep and I tried to give him 3 naps. I put him to bed at 6.30pm as he’d be shattered otherwise. Putting him in his cot for daytime naps helped to lengthen them over time.
He still goes to bed before 7 now at 18 months.

Of course for me I would much rather have my evenings free. I prefer to be up early.
Him sleeping until 9am wouldn’t work for me. So it’s whatever works for you but getting a second wind is definitely overtired.