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Sleep

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Original poster

What time does your 18 month old go to bed at at night?

16 replies

bunyanvillas · 23/07/2006 21:35

My 18 month old dd's current routine is along the lines of this - 6.30am/7.00am - wakes up (regardless of what time she went to sleep at). Sleeps for around 1.5 hrs from 1230ish to 1400. Bath at 7pm, bed at 7.30pm. However ... she has lately started to cry and protest for an hour - or more! and doesn't seem to be able to settle either on her own or with one of us in the room. I wonder if this is just a phase or if we are doing something wrong? She has followed the same bedtime routine since she was a small baby - bath, milk, story (or sometimes her Baby Einstein farmyard animals DVD which she loves and watches quietly with her milk). DH thinks we are putting her to bed too early - but she is only 18 months old and I feel that 7.30pm is perfectly reasonable. Any tips?

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tortoise · 23/07/2006 21:38

My dd2 2 on tues,goes to bed between 7-7.30.She very rarely sleeps during the day and is up at around 7.
Maybe the heat that has stopped your dd sleeping as well as before?
I wouldn't say 7.30 is too early.

HonorMatopoeia · 23/07/2006 21:42

bunyanvillas, my Dd is also 18 months and has a similar routine (wake up at 7:30, nap around midday for 1.5 hours, bed at 7:30) she's also been protesting a bit of late - the other night she slept for an hour then was wide awake till midnight! - I'm of the thinking it is the hot weather making it diffcult for her to settle. I've tried to just see it as a temporary blip (and cross fingers, tonight she has gone off as usual)I have just been adamant that if she wakes then we stay in her room. I don't want to start the whole 'waking to go down and play' thing. Good luck

PinkTulips · 23/07/2006 22:05

ditto, dd is 18 months and goes to bed at 7.30 every night but on very hot nights she seems to find it really hard to settle. we give her a cup of water and leave her to it and she settles after a while.

Camberwellbeauty · 23/07/2006 22:07

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jambot · 24/07/2006 08:13

My 16 month old is in bed by 6:30. Sleeps for about 2 hours a day.
As far as I'm concerned 7:30 is more than late enough for this age. I was in bed by 7:30 until I was 10! My mother wouldn't hear of me going to bed later until that age, and then it was only 8pm.
Don't you think that she's reached the age where she'd rather stay awake and play and that's why she's fighting going to bed?. I would just stick to your bedtime routine and be quite firm with her. It's bedtime and that's it.

Original poster

bunyanvillas · 24/07/2006 13:29

Thanks, everyone for your messages - all very reassuring! I have always thought that 7.30pm is more than late enough for an 18 month old but had been starting to wonder! Will stick to the tried and tested routine and just get through this latest blip - and then on to the next one, I expect

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piglit · 24/07/2006 13:35

My 21 month old goes to bed at 6.45 and if I have my way he'll go to bed at that time until he's 18!

shatteredmumsrus · 24/07/2006 21:48

7.30 is very acceptable. Stick to your routine and they will realise that no matter how much they pretest it doesnt work. My 21 month old usually goes to bed at 7.30 but because of the hot weather i must admit this hasnt been the case recently.9.pm tonight! But its not the end of the worl i have tries to relax about it. i know its nice to get the peace but im finding it hard to sleep and they must be too.both have fans in their rooms now. Stick with it!

miabl2 · 25/07/2006 12:24

My 17 month old goes to bed at 7.30 as well. Just recently changed from 7pm as he was getting a bit difficult to settle. (not usually a peep) Have noticed that on the hotter nights he's more difficult to settle and also he seems to have loads going on in his mouth at the moment and the only sign its bothering him is when I try to put him to bed at night. Lunchtime nap is no problem. The teething usually coincides with 6 am waking too rather than 7/7.30.

schneebly · 25/07/2006 12:27

My 18 month old DS2 goes to bed at 7.30-8.pm with his (almost) 3 year old brother but he is the only one who naps and it can vary from 1 hour-2 hours early afternoon.

Twinkie1 · 25/07/2006 12:31

7.30 to 8pm although been past 9 twice int he last week because he just screamed and screamed!!!

alexw · 25/07/2006 13:38

My 18mo goes to bed at 6.45 and sleeps approx 1.5 hrs during day (same time as yours bunyvillas) if she went to bed any later she gets beside herself- is your dd just a bit overtired?? That can make them more difficult to settle particularly as she's probabaly learning and doing so much during the day. - Justy a thought...

firstmum45 · 25/07/2006 14:16

My 18 month old daughter goes between 7 and 8. It is usually nearer 8 most nights. She sleeps all night and generaly wakes about 7.30am. She also naps for two hours in afternoon usually 1 to 3 sometimes she will sleep for longer. This is my first child and I have just used commonsense. I do find that a routine bath bottle do help get yourlittle one ready for sleep. However whilst on holiday in France my daughter did not sleep during the day. She had the odd catnap in her buggy and went to bed slightly later in the evening but when we returned home she was happy to return to her usual routine.

intergalacticwalrus · 25/07/2006 14:23

DS (19 months) goes to bed at 7-7.30 most nights, and is on the whole quite good. However, he does go through luittle phases where he won;t go to sleep until 9pm or even later. We usually just leave him in his cot as generally he's quite happy just chatting away to himself. If he's screaming blue murder we go into him. I think with DS, this is uasaully because of hot weather/light nights. We have found leaving the blackout blind down in his room all day keeps it slightly cooler, and he goes to bed in just a nappy, and has no covers on him.

You sound like you have a good routine in place, and I wouldn't advise changing it too drastically. We recently started reading DS his story in his room with the blind down (there's just enough natural light to be able to read) and this seems to have made a difference, as he's a lot calmer when he is put in his cot.

Hope things improve. It sounds like a weather-related phase to me!

docket · 25/07/2006 14:26

I think it's weather-related too, DS goes to bed at 7.30/8 and lately he hasn't been settling for up to an hour too. I'm blaming the heat but sticking with the bedtime!

liquidclocks · 25/07/2006 15:18

20 month old DS wakes around 7-7.30am ish, sleeps 12.30pm-2.30pm (more if I'd let him!) and always bed & lights out by 7.30pm. He went through agrumbly stage a couple of months ago too - I wondered if it was just because around this age they start trying to push the boundaries a bit. We stuck with it and it righted itself. Have you got blackout blinds/lining? I've heard that can help when it longer day time of year. I put our success down to a long bedtime routine that's nice and relaxed, DS will always climb into bed by himself now if you get him to choosehis own story, that way he's having some control/choice but within our rules.

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