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4 month old extremely grumpy at bedtime

2 replies

ToRecordOnlyWater · 31/01/2024 22:07

Hello! You may remember my post here a few weeks ago where I was tentatively asking if everything was ok as my baby was sleeping well, at quite a late hour but it seemed to work for us. It seemed too good to be true!

Dear reader, I jinxed myself.

Starts to grumble when he’s getting tired, he generally goes to bed anywhere between 9 and 11pm which had been working for us this far as he simply won’t go down earlier (we have tried). He does that that kind of insistent whine/grumbly sound which is our cue to get him upstairs. However he doesn’t settle when he’s up and for the last few nights has been screaming when taken to bed. We have been taking him out in the car and it works great and he sleeps through the night, but I’m worried about forming a habit we can’t sustain as husband works some nights and he’s the driver in our house.

I’m thinking a more rigid bedtime routine will help as he has his baths in the mornings rather than evenings usually, and I suppose in the living room it’s all exciting with his toys around him so he’s probably a bit overstimulated so thinking of trying to take him to bed, listen to relaxing music for a while at a certain time and have a bottle etc., does this sound like it will work? If you have any good tips I would love to hear them. I know all the different phases will pass but the grumbling sound sets my anxiety into overdrive as I know it’s going to be hard to settle him or he will start screaming.

It just seems like whenever we try to wind down when it hits 8pm he wants none of it and if he’s not being played with and we are trying to do anything relaxing he’s upset he’s not being stimulated rather than happily settling.

Just concerned about the car becoming a habit we rely on!

OP posts:
teksab · 01/02/2024 00:46

what time is his last nap? Ideally it should be about 2 hours from the end of the last nap til night time sleep (I am NO expert!!) -we don't really have a 'schedule' as such but use the Huckleberry app to keep an eye on wake windows and how long he's been awake for, and if it's been too long he's a nightmare to try and settle for sleep. The grumbling and whinging could be overtiredness? Again, no expert here!
Mine isn't quite 4 months yet, and his bed time has been creeping earlier and earlier every night 🤦🏻‍♀️ I'd be quite happy for it to be later, so he wakes up later in the morning!

ToRecordOnlyWater · 06/02/2024 12:34

@teksab sorry it’s taken me days to reply! Thank you so much for your wonderful advice and for the app recommendation! I have it and it makes so much sense knowing when the naps fall (there is a pattern that I didn’t really spot myself) - thank you so so much! Is it worth getting the premium version of the app or do you just use the free features? It’s a game changer and have a bit of a routine now 😁😁

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