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Sleep

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Original poster

Just wondered when other people tried to put their babies down at a reasonable time in evening?

18 replies

SydneyB · 04/12/2008 15:21

DS is 8 weeks old and seems to have stopped cluster feeding in the evening although he is still up with us until we go to bed. Would love our evenings back so thinking about trying to put him down when DD goes down at 7 but wondering whether it is too early for him to attempt a 12 hr stretch. Still feeding 2/3 hourly at night and expect that to continue.

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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lilymolly · 04/12/2008 15:28

At about 8 weeks by dd was in bed by about 7pm, she then had bf at 10.30pm then every 3-4 hours thru the night

If it where me, I would try now

Original poster

SydneyB · 04/12/2008 15:32

Thanks Lily. Any tips on best way? Not up for too much crying but fear he will resist at first!

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thisisyesterday · 04/12/2008 15:40

i didn't bother that early, because I knew ds2 would want feeding hourly at least, and I couldn't be arsed walking upstairs to get him when I could have him down with me,

it depends how often baby feeds really. I found that after a while ds2 didn't really have an awake time much between feeds, (ie, was basically sleeping all evening apart from his feeding) and that's when we started putting him upstairs.

was prob at least 4-5 months

Original poster

SydneyB · 04/12/2008 15:48

gosh, hourly all the time or just eves??

OP posts:

lilymolly · 04/12/2008 16:57

My dd did feed every hour or so and cluster fed on an evening, but by 8 weeks it had diminished, and I would feed her from abou 5 -7pm constantly then she would sleep until 11pm when she would get dream feed, then every 3-4 hours after that.

TBH I was determined to get into a routine and was prob a little neurotic
I am expecting no2 next year, and plan to be a bit more relaxed but still want baby in bed at a reasonable hour- it makes the rest of the day more bearable

snickersnack · 04/12/2008 17:08

Both of mine were very happy to settle down around 7pm from about 4 weeks, I think. It wasn?t something we forced on them, we just gave it a go and it worked. I?d feed and cuddle them in the dark until they drifted off, then pop them into their basket. I think they both probably woke around 9pm or so for several months for a bf, then I?d feed them again before I went to bed, then a couple more times during the night. Neither ever cluster fed.

They were both truly atrocious sleepers in other respects (so I wouldn?t take anything I say as good advice ) ? dd didn?t sleep through until 12 months and was waking every hour at 11 months. Ds has only just got the idea at 18 months, was very hard to settle back to sleep when he woke from about 6 to 12 months, waking at 5am etc etc. I?ve had my fair share of sleepless nights but actually the one thing they did both do that kept me sane was sleep in the early part of the evening. I did occasionally wonder if it was worth keeping them up to see if the rest of the night improved, but the lure of a hot bath and a glass of wine was too strong?

You could give it a go. You?ve got nothing to lose.

twinmumma · 04/12/2008 20:23

My DS is 6 wks old today and has been going down at 7pm for the past week. I let him then wake when he wants rather than waking him for a feed at 10.... and he will wake at around 10 or 11 (occasionally later) and then feed every 3 hours (sometimes wakes and tries to feed 2.5 hours but I will hold him off with dummy if I can)
Hoping that he will soon start going longer at night between feeds.
I find that what times he feeds and sleeps in the day affects the time that he goes down at night.
SO - he wakes and feeds at about 7 - 7.30am (I wake him if he hasn't woken) then sleeps 9 - 10am
wake him by 10.30 latest and he feeds between 10 - 10.30
sleeps about 11.30 or 12 for 2 hours ish
Feed by 2.30
sleeps 4 - 5
feed starts by 5.30... then bath around 6 or 6.15, then top up feed until put him down at 7
He usualy goes down without a problem. Few cries sometimes, but I leave him for few mins if cry sounds like just a grumble - and he goes off. Sometimes have to SSHHHHH him from the doorway - and our presence seems to soothe
Hope that this helps
Any advice on how to get him to go longer between feeds at night would be MORE than welcome. I am off to bed now before the next feed!!!

Comma · 04/12/2008 20:24

6 weeks.

nappyaddict · 04/12/2008 20:27

When DS had got to feeding 3 hourly I put him upstairs 3 hours before I would go to bed myself so then he would wake as I was going to bed, I would feed him and then I would get a maximum stretch of sleep before he woke up again iyswim. So if you want to go to bed at 11, put him down at 8. I think that's what I did.

robbiesbiggestfan · 04/12/2008 20:36

When my DS was about 5 weeks old I started the routine of bath, bottle and bed. Even tho he wasn't sleeping thru by any means I just thought that the routine would make him realise that this was a different sleep time rather than just nap like in the day. It worked!

castille · 04/12/2008 20:37

I only ever put mine to bed properly earlier than us when they no longer needed an evening feed. Before that they would sleep (or not) downstairs with us and we'd go to bed at the same time, after the last feed at 10 or 11. That way we had our longest stretch of sleep at the same time as the baby. Invaluable.

CharCharGaboriaInExcelsisDeo · 04/12/2008 20:40

DD clusterfed until about 10-12 weeks iirc. She then used to stay awake all evening instead of clusterfeeding. So up until 5 months she was up until midnight, then went down at 9. However hard I tried, she's just a night owl She probably started going down around 7-7.30 at around 9ish months. I see she's the latest on this thread

jsparkle · 05/12/2008 10:57

CharCharGaboriaInExcelsisDeo and Castille - you have made my day!! I have been struggling to get my 3 month old down at 7pm. She falls asleep then but just wakes every 45 min. If we keep her down with us she is a grumbly so and so. However, she will go down at 11pm/ 12pm and sleep until 7am - so I think I'll just stick with that. I was getting really worried that if I didn't start with the 7pm thing now - she never would!! I am pleased to hear yours did do it later - there is hope for us!!!

sparklyxmasfairy · 05/12/2008 11:15

between 8 and 12 weeks we started with bath bedroom etc and started getting earlier (from 11pm when we went to bed to 9pm) but we also co slept not much point before then imo

pamelat · 05/12/2008 14:43

At 3 months my DD had a bed time, until then she used to basically cry all night!

By 3 months we were able to get her to sleep about 730pm ish, feed 1030 and then 2 and then 5 and then up about 630 if I remember rightly.

pamelat · 05/12/2008 14:45

Our DD was a rubbish sleeper until about 5 months though but is now an angel ...

FaintlyMacabre · 05/12/2008 16:27

Tried at about 12 weeks.

Succeeded at about 11 months.

Original poster

SydneyB · 06/12/2008 15:08

Ok, so we've tried for last few days and now DS is going down at 8 and staying down til 11! Took a while to actually get him down using dummy and swaddle but once down he seems to stay down so at we have an evening at least. Still awful rest of night, up every 2 or even 1 hour and the longest he seems to be able to sleep is 3 hours in a row but he's still wee so I'm not really worried about that. DD used to cluster feed all eve and then go 11 to 6 but DS never has so just don't see point of having him down in evening if it doesn't achieve anything in the night. They're all so different aren't they?

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