What time do you put your baby to bed?

[EmmaInParis]

Just that really. Curious to know.

I’m a FTM to a nearly 5mo girl and when we started trying to get into a bit more of a rhythm with her around 3 months her bedtime would be around 7pm but gradually I’ve found it creeping closer to 6.30pm. That feels a little early to me but she goes down happily then. She’s never slept through the night, not even close, though, and I don’t expect her to anytime soon (although it would be nice!!)

We don’t have a set schedule - I’ve no idea how to get her into a timed routine as her naps are so unpredictable so I’m just going off awake times and adjusting bedtime based on the last nap which is often pretty crap.

Typically she’ll need four or five naps (anything from half an hour to an hour and a half but more often at the lower end) to get her through until a reasonable bedtime.

First two naps are usually in the cot, others are motion naps in the pram / car / swing.

Should I be trying to squeeze in one more nap and having a later bedtime if the last nap finishes too early to get her comfortably to 7pm? Or keep putting her to bed early as I am doing?

She’s usually awake for the day any time between 6 and 7 which is fine for me.

Really interested to know what other people do / did with babies of a similar age. Wracked with self doubt and second guessing everything I do! Especially around sleep - she’s never been the greatest sleeper and it feels like all the babies I know are sleeping far longer stretches at this point.

10-11h overnight sleep us normal at this age. So it depends on what kind of wake up time you are aiming for. I aimed for an 8.30pm bedtime to give me an awake time of 6.30m-7.30am because that worked for us.

If a 6-7am awake time works for you, then you want to aim for 8pm really. A 6 30pm bedtime could quite reasonably give you a 4.30am morning. It's more likely to be 5.30am, but 4.30am would not be considered unreasonable given the bedtime.

I'd add in an extra daytime nap to get you through.

Thank you @FATEdestiny - she does have multiple stirrings / wakings in the early hours but is quite easily coaxed back to sleep with a dummy plug or a quick feed until 6ish when she is most definitely awake. Will try the extra nap / later bedtime to see if it makes any difference. Thanks for the advice

Hi @EmmaInParis - I have an 8-month-old and I felt exactly the same as you, sometimes still do! I think your routine sounds absolutely fine, the sleep books I've read suggest an earlier bedtime is better than a late nap but obviously see what works for your baby and go by trial and error. I was keen to get into a set routine too but short naps make it difficult. They do seem to naturally get a bit longer as the months go on but in the meantime I'd be trying to go with awake windows but gradually lengthen them til you reach a three nap day - it will happen!

Mine have all been early to bed. My youngest is now 3 and still goes to bed between 6 and 7. Do what works for you

Thanks @trufflepuff22 that’s reassuring - hopefully naps will naturally lengthen for us too! I’m really looking forward to her being able to be comfortably awake for a little longer in between naps and before bed, life feels like an endless two hour loop at the minute . Thank you for your reply x

Thanks @trevthecat - that’s good to know. I suppose I’m a bit worried about what happens when I go back to work as I’ll only be picking her up from nursery at 6, but that’s 8 months away and a lot can and will change between now and then so I’m probably worrying needlessly!