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Original poster

Is it possible to get DD down to sleep earlier?

21 replies

rubyslippers · 03/01/2010 19:31

and without tears?

She is 12 weeks old and EBF

for the past 3 months she has basically cluster fed every night and she has been going to bed at around 9 ish after she has basically passed out

how can i gently ease her into going to bed earlier?

I have tried to put her down at 7 ish as she is sleepy at that time (after her previous nap) but she generally wakes and is ready for bed at 9 pm

she has no routine - she feeds on demand throughout the day and naps ok (ish)

DS naturally settled into a 7 pm bedtime without me doing anything so am wondering what to do or whether i should leave things and she will naturally adjust her body clock

TIA

OP posts:
Original poster
rubyslippers · 04/01/2010 09:19

bump ...

last night she went down at 7 pm and woke at 7.40 pm for a mega feed

she was practically asleep by 8 pm so back down again but awake at 8.10 pm

so she went to bed again at 9.00 pm after more feeds ...

OP posts:
SweetGrapesSoakedInRum · 04/01/2010 09:34

You might have to wait another month or so before she has a 6/7pm bedtime. Her schedule seems reasonable to me for her age. She's probably having a growth spurt and you and her are still adjusting to the bf. Another month or so should sort out the cluster feeds.
Sorry. Not the answer you want is it...

Original poster
rubyslippers · 04/01/2010 10:28

i thought as much!

she will get there when she is ready - very different from DS

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heylottie · 04/01/2010 11:36

It's the same here with me and my dd : would love to bring her bedtime earlier as is currently about 930/10. She fights sleep from about 730 onwards but just wont go down. I too am assuming she will get there when ready but it is hard when I am fit to drop after a long day!!!

Original poster
rubyslippers · 04/01/2010 14:01

lottie

i know what you mean

i am ready for bed at 8 pm at the moment ...

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Minshu · 04/01/2010 15:04

I could have written that first post! Except DD (13 weeks tomorrow) going to bed at 9 or 10 would have been considered early.

Since last Thursday (yes, new year's eve for some reason), we've put her in her own room and been trying to put her down around 7 or 8, depending on how the early evening goes. The first night we gave up and brought her back down to scream and feed for a while, and she conked out around 12.30. The last few nights have been better - no real pattern, but one or two more feeds before I go to bed, and one or two during the night.

We're also introducing more structure in the day and following the eat, activity, sleep cycle. I'm not letting her go more than four hours between feeds in the day, so waking her from long naps, and trying to get her to nap more regularly - which can be challenging. Seems to be helping, though.

Sounds really anal, but I've been keeping notes of what she's been up to and was shocked at how little sleep she had been getting when I added it up. Since getting more sleep during the day, we've all been a bit happier.

Original poster
rubyslippers · 04/01/2010 16:04

DD feed all the time still

she will feed at least 2 - 3 times per her awake time of 1.5 hours

i have given up keeping notes as she feeds so frequently and it was making my head spin

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heylottie · 04/01/2010 17:25

ruby I have been following the October thread (DD also an Oct baby) and think, although my dd doesnt cluster feed quite as much as your dd, they could, in many ways, be twins! I long to 'pop' dd in her moses basket at 730, then 'gently wake her' for a dream feed. Sigh!

Minshu · 04/01/2010 19:08

It was all going so well... I woke her just after posting and she's been all over the place since then - fed nicely, played nicely then got all crotchety and tired, but insisted on having more to eat, threw some of it back up, cried, fed, cried, fed, now bathed and daddy is trying to convince her to have a little snooze.

StayFrosty · 04/01/2010 19:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

arolf · 04/01/2010 19:17

my 14 week old DS will not go to sleep before 10pm, no matter what. and we have found that if he sleeps after 7pm, even for 5 minutes, he won't sleep at night at all. And he still wakes 2-4 times a night for feeds (last night for example - he finally went down at 10.30, up at 2, fed for 10 mins, back to sleep, up at 3.30 for 1 hr feed, back to sleep, up at 5, 10 min feed, sleep, up at 7.30, scream, nappy change, feed, then wriggling/sleeping until 9am, when i admitted defeat and we got up). Plus he feeds 6-8 times a day - good feeds, where he'll come off the breast looking drunk with the milk. I really wish there was an easy solution, but I fear that time will be the only cure!

StayFrosty · 04/01/2010 19:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Minshu · 04/01/2010 19:31

Indeed, SF - here we all are It's nice to know that our LOs aren't the only ones doing this...

I kept being told that things improve when they get to 12 weeks... It's disappointing because we had a few fairly good weeks where she'd be awake until late, then sleep for up to 6 or 7 hours after midnight, but she is now waking more in the night again, too.

She's asleep at the moment, but I can hear movement and sighs so will probably have to go back up shortly.

Original poster
rubyslippers · 05/01/2010 08:09

oooh more of us!

DD woke every 3 hours last night for a feed after a mad feeding session until 9 pm

it MUST be a developmental thing although last week she had three nights of sleeping a stretch of 6 - 7 hours at once

maybe she is having another growth spurt - she does wake in the mornings looking even bigger than when i put her down

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StayFrosty · 05/01/2010 14:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

arolf · 05/01/2010 16:38

I am deeply jealous stayfrosty! DS went down at 10.15, up at 1, dummy in (I'm trying to encourage longer periods between feeds at night!), up at 2, 25 min feed, up at 4.45, 20 min feed, up at 7.30. he's back to evening cluster feeds too. and morning ones.

roll on 6 months and weaning...

Original poster
rubyslippers · 06/01/2010 16:01

i am also at that amount of sleep

DD cluster fed until 9.30 pm and passed out

woke at 2 am, then 4 am (she had come unswaddled) and then woke at 8.15 am

she has barely napped today but she is cheerful ... unlike me

i was hopeful the cluster feeding may stop at around 3 months but apparently not ...

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AnythingGoes · 07/01/2010 17:38

Am v pleased to find this thread as thought I was on my own...

My DD was quite a good sleeper until about 3 months but for last few weeks has been getting worse and worse, culminating in the last 3 nights which have been hopeless. I had been trying to get her to go to bed earlier but fear this may be making it worse. Last night we started putther down at 8 and she finally fell asleep at 10 while BF. Woke again for feed at 12 for an hour then back to sleep until 3 when she fed again then decided to wake up fully and chat/feed/poo until 6 when she finally fell asleep until 8.30.
She has managed 7 hours before Christmas...
Hearing it's happening to all of you makes me hope it's just a phase but I'm going too give up on the earlier bed time for a while I think!
If anyone has any advice I'd fall on it!R

camflower · 07/01/2010 21:54

i have the same problem. i could start getting ds (now 19 weeks) ready for bed at 7pm with a bath and feeds but it's usually half nine before he conks out. the earliest he's ever gone to sleep was at 8.45pm and i think i paid dearly for that!

weston · 11/01/2010 15:53

is there a echo?! yes my 8 week old seems to have a 11pm-11am bodyclock which would be find if DD1 didn't sleep from 6pm-6am! i have tried to wake her up in the morning but she is knackerd and just wants to feed and go back to sleep, she seems to need alot sleep but doesn't get into deep night time sleep till 11 and i need to go to bed at 8 or 9! anyone found any solutions??

Original poster
rubyslippers · 11/01/2010 16:00

no solutions!

after a few blissful nights of 5/7 hour stretches and one blissful night of sleeping 8 hours we are back to bed at 9 pm, feed at 1 ish and 4 ish

she is nearly 14 weeks and i am so bleary eyed

DS fed a lot but he naturally slept after each feed so he would feed and sleep so was in bed for 7 ish from quite a young age

her naps are also rubbish

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