4 month old witching hour. Should bedtime be earlier?

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My almost 4 month old has only recently started getting super unsettled at around 8/8.30pm. He naps a good amount during the day but by 8pm he just seems to be overly tired.

We’ve tried putting him down for bedtime when he starts getting restless but then he wakes up at weird times for his night feeds.

He typically has his last bottle of the day between 8.30 to 9.30pm and has 1 night feed between 3am to 4.30am.

Does it sound like I should be putting him down for bedtime earlier even if it means his last bottle of the day is no more? Or does witching hour at 4 month naturally fade off?

It's pretty normal for them to be unsettled in the evening at this age, not easy for you though.

What time is the bottle before the 8 pm one?

@PolaroidPrincess so his feed before his bedtime feed (that is typically between 8.30-9.30pm) is anything from 6 to 7.30pm

I'd be tempted to start a bedtime routine before the previous feed and then keep him downstairs with you until the bedtime feed.

So if you fed him roughly 7 am, 10, 1, 4 and 7 start the bedtime routine about 6 ish? Give him a bottle at 7 but let him snooze with you whilst you watch TV? DH used to sometimes take out out for a walk after the 7pm ish feed to dodge the witching hour.

Agree, if he was a second child, you might well have an earlier bedtime routine with a toddler, and be winding down with both, before having a late night feed for the baby. Sounds like you are doing a good job of learning your baby's signals- well done. Unfortunately with little ones the only constant is change ...

Think my DD was going to sleep about 7-7.30 at that age so we had an evening to ourselves. She was never a great sleeper though. I'd give it a go, trial and error.

Mine usually had 3 night time feeds at 4 months, so only one night time feed seems off to me? I think he is getting restless because he is tired and wants to go to bed.

I think bedtime should be earlier- say 7:30pm after that feed. Then you should expect more than one night time feed.

I used to do bottle and 7/8 and then a dream feed at 11-12 when I went to bed and he'd often sleep till 7 at that age.

He now wakes up at 5!!

From 8 weeks with our first we did bedtime at 7pm as he had colic and evenings were hellish. He was sleeping through 12 hours by 3 months old, so I would say to pop him down earlier and see how that goes. He may need a dream feed at 10pm ish or whenever you go to bed and that might help him last a bit longer over night x